4 Years
by Chell101
Summary: Being forced to move from Metro City and returning four years later, Cora finds there is a lot more to her robotic friend than meets the eye. But how do you tell your best friend that you love them. Especially when said friend is a super powered robot who may or may not have gotten older in her absence. But how is that possible.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, I've had this stuck in my head for the last few days, so I felt like I had to write it down, or at least start it.**

**I don't own Astro Boy.**

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_"I wish I didn't have to go."_

_"You'll be fine Cora."_

_"I can't believe they're making me move."_

_"They're just frightened. They're only trying to think of what's best for you."_

_"What's best for me is to stay here with my friends...with you."_

_He smiled softly at her. He said nothing as he walked forward and enveloped her in a strong embrace. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder, revelling in the support that simple hug offered._

_"Promise to keep in touch?" She whispered in his ear._

_"Everyday."_

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4 years later

"Are you excited Cora?"

Cora flicked some of her black and purple streaked hair out of her face and turned to address her friend and roommate.

"I'm a little nervous actually." Cora replied with a weak chuckle. She was leant over a suitcase, trying desperately to get it to close, applying all her weight as she tugged at the zip.

Her friend laughed as she watched her struggle.

"Here, let me give you hand." She offered.

"Thanks Lottie."

Lottie was a tall, slim girl with midnight black hair that she kept in a pony tail, a few strands falling around her face. She had a side fringe that was dyed blond and wore thick eye liner that made her hazel eyes stand out. She wore a black, zip up hoodie with short sleeves and black fingerless gloves. Black leggings covered her legs along with a pair of grey shorts. Lastly, she wore a pair of black, knee high converse boots.

"Ok, out of my way." Cora's eyes widened as she saw Lottie rub her hands together and get into position.

"Um...Lottie..." To late. With a yell, Lottie ran at the bed and dove onto the suit case, forcing Cora to topple to the floor. Cora rubbed her sore backside then pulled herself back onto the bed. "Gracefull." She muttered.

"All...most...got it..." Lottie grunted as she pulled at the zip. With a triumphant cry, the zip finally moved, travelling around the case with ease. "AH HA!"

"Awesome, thanks Lott." Cora said as she tugged the bag off of the bed and dragged it towards the door of their dorm room. She dusted her hands off and gazed around the now empty room.

Cora had been living in this dorm for the past four years as the school she attended required the student's to stay on site. It was through this dorm that Cora had met Lottie, the two becoming quick friends.

"I guess that's everything." Cora said. "What time's our bus?"

"Um..." Lottie pulled back her glove and glanced at her watch. "Nine thirty."

"Well, what time is it now?"

"Nine twenty."

"..."

"..."

"CRAP!" Both girls exclaimed. In a flurry of panic the two friends grabbed their luggage and ran from the room.

"I hope we don't miss it." Cora gasped as they sprinted down the hall.

"Take a pill would ya, we still got ten minutes." Lottie panted, trying hard to keep up with her friend. They ran down to the office, quickly filling out some forms and handing in their dorm card. After a quick goodbye to some of their other friends, the pair left the school for the last time.

"I can't believe we're finally doing this." Lottie squealed, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Yeah." Cora sighed.

"Geez, don't sound to excited." Lottie muttered.

"Sorry, it's just...I hav'nt been back to Metro City for four years. I guess...I guess I'm just a little nervous." Lottie smiled in sympathy and patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok. I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to have you back." Cora allowed a small smile to spread on her face. "Plus you got that robot boy waiting for you." Cora felt her heart lurch as Lottie said this.

_Astro._

He was one of the reasons she was so nervous about returning. Keeping true to his promise, Astro had stayed in touch with her; calling and texting her every day, spending hours upon hours just talking and laughing. Astro kept her up to date with life in Metro City whilst Cora kept him updated with her life. For some reason, finally seeing him face to face after all these years made her stomach flutter.

She wondered if he had changed. Could he change? At seventeen, Cora had grown taller, her hair now reaching to her shoulders. But Astro was a robot. Cora's heart dropped. The thought of her growing whilst Astro stayed the same, trapped forever in the body of a thirteen year old boy, made her eyes sting. _'No.' _Shethought to herself as she shook her head. _'He's my best friend, I don't care.'_

Lottie raised a brow as she watched the turmoil on Cora's face.

"You ok?" She asked softly.

"Hm...Yeah...Yeah, I'm fine." Cora replied as she shook off the rest of her deep thoughts. They just made her more nervous.

"Oh, ok then." The pair continued to walk before they finally made it to the bus station, just in time to as the hover bus' doors opened with a hiss. The girls quickly payed for their tickets, left their luggage to the bus driver, then made their way on-board.

"Here's a good place." Lottie pointed out. Cora pulled off her back pack and took the seat closest to the window, placing her bag on her knees as Lottie slid in next to her.

"Well, this is it." Lottie said. Cora heaved a large sigh and nodded. "Aren't you parents gonna see you off?" Cora frowned.

"They're working." She answered bluntly.

"Oh." The pair went silent. It took fifteenth minutes for all the passengers to arrive before the driver finally returned and they were on their way.

Two hours into the ride and Lottie decided to start a conversation.

"So...I never asked, but why choose now to move back to Metro City?" Cora turned her attention to her friend and smiled.

"My parents agreed that if I worked hard in school and made an effort to 'make some friends' then they would let me move back when I turned seventeen."

"But why not finish high school first? I mean, we're gonna have to transfer for like the last year. Seems pretty pointless don't you think?" Cora raised a brow at her.

"You didn't have to come you know." She pointed out

"Pfft, you kidding, I've been dying to out of that town for years." Lottie answered with a wave of her hand before going back to her questioning. "So why did you move in the first place?" With a start, Cora realised she had never actually told her the reason why she had moved to that small town.

"Well, after the incident with the Peacekeeper and the giant, Alain, squid thing, they suddenly decided Metro City was to dangerous. Plus, they had just got me back." Lottie knew the story of Cora's past and the battle of the Peacekeeper; it was all over the news.

"Sounds legit." Lottie nodded. She saw Cora shift out the corner of her eye and noticed something slip out of her bag.

"Zip your bag up Cora, you're gonna lose something." Lottie scolded as she bent down to pick the item up. It was a photo. "Here." She handed the picture back to her friend.

"Thanks." Cora took the photo out of her hand and smiled down at it. The picture was of a younger version of her. She had her arms wrapped around a boys neck, her cheek pressed against his. The boys smile was wide, as though he was laughing and his large, chocolate coloured eyes were shining in delight. His black hair was styled in two spikes whilst he wore a blue jacket with a red collar; the jacket zipped down a bit revealing a white t-shirt. She felt Lottie lean over and look at the picture.

"Is that Astro?" She asked. Cora smiled as she ran her finger over the boys face.

"Yeah." Cora replied with fondness.

"He's cute." Lottie stated bluntly. Cora couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, he is." She agreed.

"Is he really a robot?" Cora's smile dropped a bit.

"Yeah, he is." She repeated softly.

"Hm...He doesn't look like one." And Cora had to agree, he really didn't. Lottie suddenly started giggling.

"What?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How does he do that with his hair?" Cora snorted a laugh.

"He goes through a hell of a lot of hair gel." The two cracked up, gaining weird glances from the other passengers.

The rest of the ride was spent goofing around, chatting or playing games on their holo-pads.

Bzz bzz

Cora felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

"One sec." She told Lottie as she paused the game they were playing. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text, her face spreading into a grin. "It's Astro."

"What did he say?" Lottie asked as she leaned over to read the message. Cora's smile widened.

"He's meeting us at the station." She said excitedly.

"Sweet. I can't wait to finally meet him." Lottie felt equally excited to finally meet the famous boy robot that Cora never shut up about.

"How much longer we got left?" Cora asked. Lottie checked her watch.

"Around twenty minutes." Cora groaned.

"Don't worry Cora, twenty minutes will fly by before you know it." Lottie reassured.

And she was right. Before they knew it the grand skyscrapers of Metro City were finally coming into view. Now permanently back on the surface, the city stood out far more against the lessening mountains of trash.

Cora suddenly felt her nervousness return ten fold, her palms becoming sweaty and her heart racing as they neared the bus station. She jumped as a robotic voice announced the name of the station.

"You ok dude?" Lottie asked, noticing how stiff her friend was. Cora swallowed.

"Peachy." The air bus finally came to a stop in the busy Metro Station. The two friends gathered up their belongings and exited the vehicle. They waited patiently whilst the driver retrieved their suitcases, thanked him, then began the difficult job of making their way through the huge crowd of people.

The girls hooked arms in hope of not being separated whilst they searched the station.

"Where did he say he was meeting us?" Lottie shouted over the bustling noise.

"I dunno, he didn't say." Cora yelled back.

"Terrific."

They continued to push their way through the crowd, Lottie grumbling every time someone shoved her.

"This is a great first impression." She shouted making Cora laugh.

"CORA!"

The girls froze when they heard the voice call Cora's name. Cora's heart thumped against her ribs as she recognised the voice, yet there was something different about it. Her head twisted this way and that, trying to locate the owner. She suddenly felt Lottie tug on her sleeve.

"Uh...Cora." Lottie's eyes were wide as she pointed in a certain direction. Cora followed her finger and gasped at what she saw.

A boy was making his way towards them, swiftly moving through the crowed. He looked to be around seventeen. He was quit tall, wearing a baby blue button down shirt that was left undone revealing a white t-shirt. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows leaving his forearms bare. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans held up by a black belt decorated with a looped chain. His wrists were covered by simple black sweat bands.

Cora's wide eyes travelled down to his feet were she saw a pair of familiar red boots. She looked back at his face, his black hair styled into two iconic spikes. Her deep, blue eyes met with soft brown and her heart stopped beating.

"A...Astro?" She choked out. She heard Lottie gasp next to her.

"H-hey." The boy gasped as he placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Cora said nothing, only continuing to stare, her mouth gaping. The boy finally lifted his head, giving the pair a wide grin. However, his grin dropped when he noticed Cora's face. "Cora?"

His voice was deeper than she remembered, her phone not able to properly pick up the change, yet it was still soft, and sweet. She continued to gawp at him.

"Astro?" She whispered again. The boy-Astro looked himself over before returning his concerned gaze to Cora.

"Yeah?" That simple response seemed to snap Cora out of her daze and before anyone could blink she had jumped up, wrapping her arms around Astro's neck with a laugh of pure joy. Astro's laughed mixed with hers as he spun her around, holding her close.

"Oh my God, it's so good to see you. Just...look at you...you're so...you've really...I just...I don't..." Cora continued to exclaim, unable to finish a complete sentence. Astro chuckled, loosening his hold so he could look her in the eye, noticing the tears running down her cheeks.

"It's good to see you to." He said softly as he wiped her tears with his thump. "I missed you." Cora felt her face redden when he said this and quickly pulled him into another hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Ahem." The teens pulled apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat and turned to face Lottie who stood there, her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

"Oh! Oh right." Cora broke the embrace and moved to stand next to her friend. "Astro, this is Lottie. Lottie, Astro."

"It's nice to meet you Lottie." Astro greeted politely, holding out his hand. Lottie stared at him with awe as she shook his hand. His hand was soft and felt nothing like a robot.

"So you're the famous Astro Boy." She was surprised to see his cheeks turn red.

"Heh, I guess." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. Lottie continued to look him up and down.

"But Cora told me you were a robot." Astro cocked his head to the side, his brows scrunching in confusion.

"I am." Lottie looked at her hand, remembering the feeling of her palm in his.

"Amazing." She whispered.

"Hold on a minute." Cora suddenly exclaimed. She walked closer to Astro, staring at him intently.

"What?" The robot asked, slightly startled.

"You're taller than me." She stated. With a start, Astro realised he was, in fact, looking down at her.

"Huh, yeah, I guess I am." Astro said, using his hand to measure them. Cora stared at him in amazement.

"How is that even possi-" Before she could finish her question a random person pushed passed her, causing her to lose her balanced.

"Woah." Astro said as he caught her. "Maybe we should go somewhere less crowded." He suggested. Lottie nodded in agreement.

"I'm all for that." Astro bent down and lifted their heavy suitcases with ease.

"Show off." Cora muttered. Astro smirked at her.

"Come on, I'm parked out front." He said as he nodded his head in the direction of the door.

"Parked?" Cora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You drive?" Lottie questioned.

"Of course I do." He answered before turning for the exit with their suitcases in hand. Cora and Lottie shared an astonished look then ran to catch up with him.

After a lot of pushing and shoving the trio finally made it to the front of the station, practically falling out of the automatic doors.

"This is gonna take some getting used to." Lottie stated as she dusted her clothes off causing Cora and Astro to laugh.

"Don't worry." Astro chuckled. "It's not usually that bad, you just caught it at a busy time."

"So, where's your car?" Cora asked a little enthusiastically, excited to see what type of vehicle he drove.

"Over here." He replied, leading the girls forward. Cora and Lottie's eyes widened at what they saw.

Astro had stopped next to a sleek, silver hover car with black rimmed Windows and a sharp design that made it more aero-dynamic. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and with a press of a button the door lifted open with a soft hiss.

The girls peeked inside at the black, leather interior and advanced looking dash board.

"Please tell me this isn't your first car?" Lottie choked out.

"Sure it is." Astro said as he placed their suitcases in the trunk. By now Lottie was practically drooling.

"Whaa..." Cora pulled her friend out of the door before her saliva stained the flawless leather.

"One of the perks of having a rich dad I guess." Cora pointed out. Astro closed the trunk and moved around to the drivers door.

"Hop in." He instructed. They did what they were told, Cora taking the passenger seat whilst Lottie Sat in the back; though she leant between the front seats in order to carry on their conversations. Astro stuck his key in the ignition and the hover car hummed to life, lifting a few centimetres of the floor, before he pulled out of the station and onto the main highway.

"So." Astro began as he casually gripped the steering wheel, his eyes never leaving the road. "Where are you guys staying?"

"Oh." Cora quickly shuffled through her bag, pulling out a piece of paper. "Erm...main street, the new apartment complex." Astro nodded and turned the car down the correct road.

"I've got a question?" Cora suddenly asked him.

"Shoot."

"Why drive when you can just fly everywhere? I'm sure that's faster." Astro was silent as he thought over her question.

"I guess..." He paused, sighing softly. "I guess it just makes me feel more...normal." The girls sent him a sympathetic look.

"So how long did it take you to pass your test?" Lottie asked, attempting to change the subject. The robot boy smiled a little smugly.

"Passed it on my first try." The girls giggled.

"Of course you did." Cora laughed before her eyes grew wide. "Oh yeah! How are Zane and the twins?"

"They're great. They can't wait to see you." The girl smiled at the thought of seeing her other friends. "Oh, by the way, what are doing about school?" Cora raised a brow at him.

"School?"

"Yeah. I mean, I never took you as a drop out." Astro joked. Cora laughed.

"We didn't drop out."

"Yeah." Lottie cut in. "We transferred to Metro City High."

"Really?" Astro asked.

"Yep." The girls confirmed in unison. Astro hummed in response.

"Huh, guess you'll be transferring to mine and Zanes year." Cora nodded.

"Yeah, my parents sent the info ahead so we can start on Monday." Cora explained. "That means we have the rest of the weekend to settle in."

"You need a hand?" The android offered. Cora smiled.

"Sure, if you're not to busy." She said modestly.

The trio spent the rest of the ride chatting and catching up and before they knew it they had arrived at their destination.

"Well, here we are." Astro announced as he park the car. The complex they were at was tall and in the usual pale colours of Metro City. Lottie let out a long whistle.

"Looks fancy." She stated.

"This _is_ Metro City." Cora reminded.

"You guys ready?" They turned to see Astro, already holding their suitcases and motioning to the door. The girls hurried to catch up with him as they entered the lobby. Lottie's eyes practically bulged from her face.

"Dude, I can see my reflection in the floor." She exclaimed. Astro sent a confused look Cora's way.

"Lottie spent her entire life in that town." She explained. Astro nodded in understanding. They stopped at the front desk to fill in their details and retrieve their room key card before making their way to the elevator; travelling up to the fourth floor.

"Ok." Cora said as she checked the key card. "We're in apartment...29."

"26...27...28..." Astro mumbled as they walked down the hall. "Ah ha. 29." Lottie took the key card out of Cora's hand and swiped it through the lock.

Inside the apartment was spacious and clean. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen/dinning room and a large living room, equipped with a comfy looking couch and flat screen T.V.

"Holy cow." Lottie breathed.

"It's not bad." Astro agreed with an approving nod. He walked into the living room and placed the luggage next to the couch. "You guys need help unpacking?" The robot asked.

"Nah, we're good." Lottie replied with a wave of her hand. "We only really brought clothes and stuff."

"Then how bout I order pizza? You gotta be hungry after that trip." The girls quickly agreed. After deciding on the type of pizza, Astro took out his phone and dialled the number. "Hello, Pizza Palace?...Yeah, I'd like to order an extra large pepperoni, no mushrooms..." His voice trailed of as he wondered into the kitchen leaving Cora and Lottie in the living room.

"Well...he's..." Lottie began, unable to come up with an appropriate word to describe the boy robot.

"I know." Cora said as she slumped on the couch placing her bag on her lap.

"Are you sure he's a robot?" Her friend asked as she settled down next to her. "Coz he sure as hell don't seem like one." Cora said nothing, just continuing to stare directly ahead.

She couldn't believe it. Now that she was able to sit down and think about it, she realised how impossibly, incredible it was. Astro _had_ grown. He was taller, more mature, heck even his voice had changed. She had no idea how and quit frankly she didn't care, she was just to overwhelmed. _'He can grow with me.' _Cora jolted.

_'The heck did that come from?'_ She thought to herself. _'Sure, maybe I had a bit of a crush on him when we where younger. But now...now maybe there's a chance.'_

"Pizzas on its way." Cora was startled out of her thoughts as Astro made his way back into the room, causing her to drop her bag, the contents spilling on the floor.

"Klutz." She heard Lottie snicker next to her. Her face reddened a bit as she knelt down to tidy up the mess.

"Here, let me help you." Astro offered as he knelt down next to her. The pair quickly gathered up her belongings and shoved them back in the back pack. The last item was a photo. The same photo that had fallen out on the bus. Astro carefully pick up the picture and smiled at what he saw.

"You still have this?" He asked as he handed it back to Cora. Cora's cheeks turned pink as she gingerly took the photo.

"It's my favourite." She mumbled with a small smile making his own brighten.

"You really ought to get a frame for that or something. Lottie piped up behind them. "That's the second time today it's fallen out of your bag." Cora nodded as she placed the photo on a coffee table.

"So, do wanna start unpacking before the pizza gets here?" Astro asked as he straightened himself off the floor.

"Nah, we got plenty of time for that later." Lottie waved him off as she leant back on the couch. "I've got some question for you first."

"Me?" Astro asked in slight confusion.

"Yes, you."

"Ok, like what?" Lottie leant forward in her seat.

"Like, are you really a robot?" Cora groaned.

"Lottie we've been through this." She said with exasperation.

"I know, I'm just having trouble believing it." Lottie suddenly got a thoughtful look on her face. "Gimme some proof." Astro was still for a moment before a smirk wound its way onto his face. He silently removed the black sweat band from his right wrist and held out his arm.

Lottie's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she watched the skin on the lower part of his arm split, revealing metal and wires, before twisting and turning and finally transforming into a rather powerful looking cannon; the inside glowing blue as it charged up.

"HOLY CRAP!" She yelled, almost falling of the couch.

"That enough proof for you?" Astro asked with a laugh as he changed his arm back and slipped on the sweat band. Lottie quickly composed herself and cleared her throat, though her eyes remained wide.

"Y-yeah." She choked out, clearing her throat again. "Yeah, but there's one more thing I've been dying to see." Astro raised an eyebrow at her. "Cora said you're powered by something called the Blue Core."

"Yeah." Astro said, a little weary.

"Well, can I see it?" The robot took a small step back, his hand coming to rest on his chest. Noticing his slight reluctance, Cora stepped towards him.

"It's ok Astro." She soothed as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust Lottie. She's just nosey that's all."

"Hey!" Lottie exclaimed with a pout. Astro chuckled at this before finally agreeing.

"Alright." He said as he reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up revealing his chest. The girls leaned forward in anticipation as he pressed down on the left side of his chest, right above his heart. With a faint hiss a small hatch opened showing a beautiful, blue orb as it spun slowly in its place. The sound it made was like a thousand, tiny bells and the light it gave off filled the room with warmth and serenity.

"Amazing." Lottie breathed. Cora silently nodded in agreement. She had never really seen the Core properly before, only when it was dull and lifeless, but now, seeing it shine bright and strong, spinning in the chest of her best friend, the positive energy of a fallen star that kept her Astro alive. She couldn't help but be amazed.

Astro closed the hatch, snapping the pair out of their trance, and pulled his shirt back down.

"Anymore doubts of me being a robot?" He asked as he straightened his clothes.

"No way." Lottie answered as she shook her head.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way-" DING DONG. "-Looks like the pizzas here." Astro hurried off to answer the door, leaving Cora and Lottie, still sitting with expressions of awe.

"He's phenomenal." Lottie finally gasped. Cora smiled fondly in the direction Astro had left.

"Yeah...He is." Lottie gazed at Cora's expression, a knowing smile creeping on her face.

The trio spent the rest of the evening chowing down on pizza and pop and just enjoying each others company. Cora felt her heart drop when Astro announced that he had to get going.

"My dad will get worried." He said with a role of his eyes as he made his way towards the door. Cora suddenly grabbed him in a hug which he gladly returned.

"Come back tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"Bright and early." He promised as they broke apart. The girls quickly saw him off, waving from their window as he drove away.

"Guess we better get to bed." Lottie yawned as she stretched her back. The two friends searched through their luggage for their pyjamas, brushed their teeth, then retired to their new rooms.

"Goodnight Cora." Lottie yelled from her bed making Cora giggle.

"Night Lottie." She shouted back. Cora snuggled deeper into her bed, a smile plastered on her face, excited for what tomorrow might bring, and seeing a certain spiky haired robot boy again.

**Holy mackerel! This has to be the longest chapter I have ever written! I just didn't know when to stop -_-**

**Anyhoo, I hope to explain more in future chapters, like how Astro is able to grow, where Cora has been for the last four years, yadda yadda.**

**Until next time! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2...yay! **

**I don't own Astro Boy.**

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Astro pulled into the parking lot of his apartment and powered down his hover car. Instead of getting out, the robot teen sighed and sat back in his seat. A small smile graced his lips as he though about the day.

Cora was back. She was finally back. He felt his core spin a little faster as he thought about her. Talking on the phone was nothing compared to seeing her face to face. She hadn't changed much in the last four years; her hair was a little longer yet she kept the purple highlights, she still wore the same sort of clothes, though she lost the skirt and just settled for jeans. Her eyes still shone their brilliant blue.

His smile dropped a bit as he thought about himself._ 'I wonder what she thinks of me?' _The day that he realised he was growing had been one of the greatest of his life. His father had been ecstatic. They struggled to come up with a logical explanation before settling on the Blue Core.

_"It _is_ from outer space."_ Astro had shrugged and they had just left it at that. The thought of being able to grow with his friends and experience all the things life had to offer thrilled him. He remembered the first time he told Zane, Widget and Sludge. The quartet had spent the entire day celebrating at Pizza Palace; eating enough pizza and junk to leave them feeling full for the rest of the week.

Astro chuckled at the memory. He wondered what it might of been like if Cora was with them. His thoughts once again turned to Cora. He had always had a crush on her, from the moment she had brought him to Hamegg's. That night on the car when he found out she was actually from Metro City. When Zog had brought him back to life after sacrificing himself. Even all the years she was away.

_'Maybe now we have a chance.'_ He thought to himself, however, the doubt was still there. Would she even want to? He was still a robot. Astro groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Why does my life have to be so complicated?" He asked no one in particular. He removed his hands and checked the time on the dashboard.

11:45

"Woops." He quickly jumped our of his car, made sure it was locked, then briskly made his way towards the entrance of his apartment.

"Good evening Astro." The lady behind the counter greeted him as he walked/ran through the Lobby.

"Oh, hey Rayne." He replied, jogging on the spot slightly. The woman chuckled softly.

"Late again I see." Rayne said as she lent forward on the desk. "What excuse to you have this time?"

"Um...visiting a long lost friend." The receptionist got a thoughtful look on her face as she made a show of rubbing her chin.

"I dunno, I think you've already used that one." She joked making Astro laugh.

"No, I'm serious." He gasped, slowly inching his way towards the elevator.

"Well, ok then." Rayne said, noticing this. "Don't let me hold you up."

"Thanks Rayne." Astro smiled as he walked into the elevator, waving to the woman as the door slid closed.

"Good luck!" He heard her yell before the door shut completely. Astro sighed as he pressed the button for the top floor.

'C'mon, c'mon." He mumbled. Once there the doors opened with a 'ping' as Astro pushed his way out. He speed walked down the corridor, pulling his key card out of his pocket and swiftly scanning it through the lock.

The pent house was quiet. Too quiet. As quietly as he could, Astro slid the door closed and tiptoed further into his home. He silently made his way upstairs, towards his bedroom. For a precious minute, the robot teen thought he was going to make it, that is untill a light clicked on behind him, shining on him in all his guilty glory. Busted.

"Astro Tenma."

"Heh...hi dad." Astro chuckled nervously as he turned around to face his father who stood there in his pyjamas, a torch in his hand and a stern look on his face.

"And what time do you call this." Dr Tenma asked as he made his way towards his robotic son. Even at seventeen, Astro was still shorter than his extremely tall dad. He shrunk a bit under his gaze.

"Um." He glanced at the clock. "Twelve." Had it really taken fifteen minutes to get up here?

"And what time is your curfew?"

"Ten." Astro mumbled. Tenma sighed and turned off the torch, leading his guilty son into his bedroom.

"Where were you?" He asked, more softly this time. Astro Sat on his bed and fiddled with his blanket.

"I was at Cora's." He replied. Tenma's eyebrows rose when he said this.

"Cora?" He remembered the girl. She was always with Astro and his friends before she had to move away. He remembered Astro spending hours on the phone talking with her and laughing. "She's back?"

"Yeah, I was helping her move into her new apartment." Astro answered more brightly this time. Tenma smirked, suddenly getting an idea. Time to punish his son for disobeying him.

"I'm sure you two had a good time." He said, struggling to hold in his laughter as he watched his sons face turn bright red.

"W-what, dad, we, n-no, no, it's, it's not like that, n-no, I was just helping her, a-and plus her friend was there, a-and we where j-just-" Tenmas laugh cut off Astro's frantic rambling.

"Settle down son." Tenma chuckled as he placed his hand on Astro's tense shoulder. "I was only joking." Said robot pouted, his cheeks still pink.

"Jerk." He huffed making his father laugh again.

"Alright then." Tenma said as he stood and made his way towards the door. "Get ready for bed. You're going to need to get up early if you want to spend the day with Cora tomorrow." The doctor snickered, getting in the last tease.

"Out." Astro demanded with a slight glare.

"Ok, ok, I'm going." Tenma smiled as he watched Astro flop back on his bed. "Good night son."

"Night dad." Astro listned as the door slid closed and smiled. He and his father had defiantly become closer over the years. Dr Tenma was less of a workaholic and spent more time with his family. And not just Astro. A few months after Cora had left, Tenma had started seeing someone. A beautiful woman who worked at the Ministry of Science. Astro loved her just as much as she loved Astro, spoiling him every chance she got and after some time and some serious encouragement on Astro's part, Tenma finally popped the question. Dr. Henna Tenma was now officially part of the family. Henna wasn't the only new addition.

"Astro?" Astro lifted his head at he sound of the small voice. Standing in his doorway was a little girl of four years old. She had short black hair and large brown eyes. Her pink pyjamas hung off her small shoulder as she hugged a brown teddy to her chest.

"What's up Zoran?" He asked his little sister. After being married for a few months, Henna had announced that she was pregnant. At first Astro was terrified. He had no idea what the birth of a human child might do to his and his father's shaky relationship. However, once she was born, Zoran had quickly taken over his heart. Not that he would admit it, but his sister had him wrapped right around her little finger.

"I had a bad dweam." The little girl sniffled. Astro smiled in sympathy as he sat up. He opened his arms and Zoran didn't hesitate to run right into them.

"Do you wanna sleep in my bed tonight?" He asked softly. Zoran looked up at him with wide eyes and that was all the answer he needed. He chuckled as he helped her slide into bed then stood and began to walk towards his dresser.

"Where are you going." Zoran squeaked.

"To get my pjs, silly." Astro laughed fondly as he pulled a white t-shirt and grey pyjama bottoms out the top draw. Zoran watched as he stripped out of his clothes, leaving him standing in his black shorts with the green belt and his red boots. She cocked her head to the side.

"Hey, Astro?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I be a robot too?" Astro paused, the grey pants in hand. He looked down at his metal boots and black shorts. They weren't clothes; they were a part of him. He couldn't take them off even if he wanted to. With a sigh, he turned to address his sister.

"Zoran, being a robot isn't what it's all cracked up to be." Zoran just looked more confused.

"But you can fly." She stated. "And lift weally heavy stuff. And shoot stuff with you callons."

"Cannons Zoran." Astro chuckled as he pulled on the pants and t-shirt. He turned his bedroom light off, using his eye beams to navigate his way back to his bed; much to Zoran's delight. He pulled back the blanket and slid in beside his sister. "Listen Zoran." He started, lying on his side so he could look her in the eye (his eye beams no longer on). "Don't ever wish to be anyone but yourself." He said in a serious tone. "You are the most, incredible, amazing person in the world, even without super strength and arm cannons. You understand?" Zoran smiled.

"Yes big brother." She said as she snuggled up to his chest. He responded by wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close. "Astro?"

"Yes Zoran?"

"Do you pwomise to chase away the scary monsters?" She asked as she gripped his shirt. Astro smirked.

"Don't I always." Zoran giggled.

"Yes, coz you're the bestest big brother ever." Astro smiled softly this time.

"You got that right." Zoran buried her small face in his chest and yawned.

"Nighty night Astro."

"Nighty night Zoran."

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"-stro?"

"Mmmmg"

"Astro?"

"Hmg."

"ASTRO!"

"WAH!" With a startled cry, Astro went tumbling off the side of his bed, landing hard on the floor. "Ow." Ok, so maybe it hadn't really hurt, but hey, it was early, he had the right to be grumpy.

"You're so clumsy brother." Astro squinted up at Zoran who was leaning over the bed and giggling.

"Oh har har." He grumbled. He wasn't mad at her; he just wasn't a morning person.

"C'mon Astro, daddy said you wanted to get up early." Zoran slipped of the bed and landed on his chest causing him to grunt. She continued sitting there as she leant over her brothers face, lifting his eye lid and watching it close when she let go. "Astro." She huffed. Astro finally cracked his eyes open and smirked at his sister and before she could blink, he had her in his grasp, tickling her mercilessly.

"N-NO, S-TOP." Zoran squealed.

"That's for shouting in my face." Astro said as he stopped tormenting her. Zoran gasped and wiped tears out of her eyes.

"Humph, it's not my fault your a big lazy bum." Astro wiggled his fingers at her causing her to squeak and run from his room.

"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!" He shouted after her. He heard a raspberry being blown down the hall and laughed.

"Not even eight o'clock and you two are all ready tormenting each other." Astro smiled as Henna walked through the door. She had deep, brown hair that she kept in a pony tail and bright blue eyes. A pair of glasses rested on her nose whilst she dressed in typical Metro City wear. Unlike his parents, Astro preference the old fashioned, slightly more colourful clothes of the surface, just like his friends.

"Good morning Henna.' He chuckled as he picked himself of the floor and straightened his shirt.

"Good morning Astro." Henna said sweetly as she walked into his room. "You know, we do own a washing machine." She stated as she picked up his clothes from yesterday, which he had left lying in a heap on the floor.

"Heh, sorry bout that." The teen robot replied as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Another late night?" His step-mom asked. "What was is this time? Rogue robot or kitten in a tree." She joked making Astro laugh.

"No, I was with an old friend, helping her Seattle in."

"Her?" Henna asked with a soft smirk. Astro groaned.

"Not you too." He pleaded. "It's not like that, I was just helping her and her friend out is all."

"That's nice hun." Henna said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Such a gentleman. Girls like that in a guy."

"Hennaa." Astro whined.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry." The woman giggled. "Hurry up and get dressed, Orrin's making pancakes."

"Awesome. Be down in a sec." Henna smiled and left the room, giving him some privacy.

Astro moved to his wardrobe and pulled out a clean, white t-shirt, a pair of black jeans and a grey jacket with short sleaves that he left undone. Once he was changed he hurried into his bathroom and check his reflection in the mirror. The spikes on his head looked a little lobbed sided and bits of hair was sticking out. He cringed, whipping out his hair gel, re-styling his black hair back into two perfect points; not a hair out if place.

"ASTRO, HURRY UP OR I'M GONNA EAT YOUR PANCAKES!" He heard Zoran shout.

"TOUCH MY PANCAKES AND YOU'RE DONE FOR!" He yelled back, hearing her giggle. He finished up in the bathroom then made his way downstairs were he found his family already settled around the table and Orrin setting down their breakfast.

"Good morning son." His father greeted as he sipped at his coffee.

"Morning dad." He replied as he sat down next to Zoran, who already had a mouth full of pancakes. Orrin soon rolled over, placing his breakfast in front of him. "Thanks Orrin, it looks great."

"Why thank you mast-Astro." Astro smiled as Orrin rolled away. Even after all this time the house bot still had trouble remembering that he didn't have to call them 'master'. The teen shook his head and shoved a fork full of pancakes in his mouth, savouring the sweet taste.

"Are you seeing Cora again today Astro?" Tenma suddenly asked. Astro swallowed his food before answering.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head out as soon as I'm done." He shoved another fork full in his mouth then moved to his orange juice.

"Who's Cora?" Zoran asked beside him. Astro paused from his drinking.

"She's just a friend of mine." He answered, going back to drinking.

"Is she your girly friend?" His sister asked innocently. Astro suddenly choked on his orange, coughing and sputtering as his parents laughed across from them. Zoran looked between them all in confusion. "What?" Astro finally got his coughing fit under control.

"N-no." He sputtered, wiping his face and hands with the napkin Orrin had so graciously brought him. "No, she's just a friend."

"Who's a girl." Zoran pointed out.

"Whatever." Astro mumbled. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth." With that, he hurried from the table, leaving his orange soaked breakfast half eaten, and hurried back up the stairs.

"Did I say something wrong?" Zoran asked, once he was gone.

"No honey." Henna soothed "your brother's just being silly."

"Oh...ok." The little girl looked in the direction Astro had disappeared. She quickly finished her breakfast and downed her own juice. "May I be excused?" She asked politely.

"Of course." Tenma replied, watching his daughter scamper from her chair and chase after Astro.

Upstairs, Astro was back in his bathroom, scrubbing a brush over his perfectly white teeth. He suddenly heard a soft knock at the door and turned to see his sister standing there with her hands behind her back.

Zoran watched him lean over the sink and spit out the toothpaste, using a towel to wipe of the remainder around his mouth.

"What is it Zoran?" He asked once he was done.

"I'm sorry." Astro turned to her with a confused look.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for making you spill your juice and ruin your breakfast." Astro smiled and knelt down in front of her.

"Nah, it wasn't you fault." He said "I was just being silly." Zoran giggled.

"That's what mommy said."

"Oh did she now." Astro asked with a raised eyebrow. Zoran nodded untill her eyes landed on something on the sink.

"Astro?"

"Yes Zoran?"

"Can you do my hair again?" Astro followed her gaze to the bottle of hair gel then turned back to her large, puppy dog eyes.

"Oh alright then." Yep. Right around her little finger.

"Yay!" Zoran squealed as she climbed onto the toilet so her brother could easily reach her hair. The robot teen shook his head as he reached for his gel. Zoran looked up to Astro. He was her big brother. Her hero. She loved him to no end. Wanting to be like him.

This lead to Astro, one day coming home from school and finding his little sister in his bathroom, the floor covered in hair gel and her black hair styled into, what he can only guess as a failed attempt at his spikes. He was about to shout at her untill she started crying.

"I just want to be like big brother." She had wailed. Astro soothed her as best he could, untill he finally got an idea.

"How bout you let me have a go?" He asked. Zoran wiped her tears and nodded. Astro spent the next hour washing the gel out of his sister's hair and starting over. "What do think?" Zoran looked at her reflection in the mirror and gasped. Instead of a spike at the top and side of her head, her hair had two curving spikes coming out the side of her head, looking a little more feminine.

"I love it!" She had squealed, giving her brother a big hug. Since that day Zoran had been coming to Astro and asking him to style her hair until she was able to do it herself.

"Ok, I'm done." Astro stated as he wiped the gel off his hand. Zoran smiled at her reflection then jumped off the toilet and followed her brother into his room.

"Astro?"

"Hmm?" Astro replied as he retrieved his phone from its charging station.

"Can I come with you to see your friend?" The android thought about her question. Cora had said she really wanted to meet her.

"Eh, why not." Zoran's eyes lit up.

"You mean I can come?" She asked hopefully.

"It's find with me."

"Yaaaaaayyyy-"

"But you're gonna have to ask mom and dad first." Zoran stopped her little dance.

"Ok, let's go." She grabbed Astro's arm and began pulling him towards the door, making the robot teen laugh.

"Mommy! Daddy! Can I go with Astro?" Zoran shouted when they made it down stairs. The two adults poked their heads out of the kitchen.

"Well, ok." Henna replied. "But remember to be careful." Astro rolled his eyes. It wasn't like this was the first time taking his sister out.

"Don't worry Henna, we're only going to Cora's." He reassured.

"Yeah, we're only going to Cora's." Zoran mimicked with her hands on her hips. Astro snickered and poked her on the side of the head, making her giggle and their parents smile.

"Well." Tenma suddenly said with a clap of his hands. "We better get to work." He pulled on his coat and made his way towards the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something Bill?" Tenma turned to face his wife and saw her dangling a brief case in front of his face.

"Ah, right, right." He took the case out of her hands as she chuckled. "Thanks Henna."

"I swear, it's a good job we work at the same place or else you would be making a lot of return trips home." She sighed with a shake of her head.

"Talking down to your boss are you." Tenma smirked as he lead her to the door.

"Not in this house your not." Henna snorted. They heard their children cracking up behind them at their little show.

"Alright, alright." Tenma laughed. "Lets go or we're going to be late."

"See you later kids." Henna cooed as she gave them each a kiss on the forehead. "Have a lovely day." The Tenma children waved goodbye their parents, wishing them a good day.

"Speaking of late." Astro said as he checked the clock. He looked down at his sister, noticing she was still in her pink pyjamas. "C'mon Zoran, let's get you dressed, then we can go."

"Ok." Zoran skipped of towards her room, Astro hot on her heels. Zoran's room was as big as Astro's and very pink. She had a mountain of plush toys at the end of her bed, though the brown teddy bear Astro had gotten her for her birthday was her favourite. She defiantly had a thing for animals. On her bedside table was a heart shaped picture frame filled with a photo of her and Astro.

Zoran ran to her dresser and pulled it open, spending a few seconds rummaging through it before finally settling on a pink, denim dungarees that reached just above her knees, a white t-shirt to go underneath, a pair is white, frilly socks and pink sneakers.

Astro hurriedly help her into her clothes, made sure she brushed her teeth then ushered her down the stairs and out of the apartment, making sure to lock up. Astro, being the responsible big brother he is, took Zoran's hand in his and lead her to the elevator.

They rode the elevator down to the lobby, Zoran humming along to the annoying elevator music.

"Good morning Astro, Zoran." Rayne greeted as then walked past.

"Morning Rayne." They replied in unison making the woman chuckle.

"Off to see you're long lost friend are we?" She asked.

"Yep." Astro laughed.

"I'm gonna meet Astro's girly friend." Zoran Sunddenly pipped up. Astro stopped laughing immediately, his face turning red as Rayne cracked up behind the counter.

"So that's where you where last night?" She managed to choke out making Astro blush harder.

"W-what, n-no, no, it's not, it's n-not like that." Astro once again found himself stuttering.

"I get it honey." Rayne giggled with a wave of her hand. "You two have a nice day."

"Bye Rayne." Zoran shouted over her shoulder as a grumbling Astro dragged her towards the door. Once in the parking lot, Astro led his little sister over to his car, taking out his keys and opening the door.

"Alright big mouth, hop in." He instructed as Zoran jumped into the passenger seat. Astro made sure she was buckled in before moving to the drivers side, getting in behind the wheel. He put his key into the ignition and the hover car hummed to life, rising off the floor. They pulled onto the road and began the drive to Cora's apartment.

"Astro's girly friend, here we come."

"Zoran!"

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**Yes, Zoran is human in this story.**

**I like this chapter way more than the first. I think I had slight writers block when I wrote it. Oh well, that's life...my life anyway.**

**Next chapter we're back to Cora. Until then :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would have got this done sooner but I had really bad writers block DX**

**I don't own Astro Boy.**

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"Cora?"

"Hmg."

"Coraa."

"Go away." The annoying voice above her head laughed softly.

"No can do, time to get up sleepy head." Cora groaned as she rolled over in her bed, pulling the pillow over her head.

"Five more minutes, Lottie."

"Nope, try again." It was then that she realised the voice above her did not belong to her flat mate. The girl finally cracked her eyes open, only to come face to face with a pair of large, brown eyes.

"WAH!" With a startled cry, Cora shot up from the mattress, her forehead connecting with the owner of the eyes. She heard a soft 'omph' as the intruder fell to the bedroom floor whilst Cora rubbed her tender skull. She knew only one person with a head as hard as hard as that.

"Astro?" Said robot picked himself off the floor, one hand resting on his forehead and a sheepish grin on his face.

"Heh...good morning?" Cora's face reddened when she realised what was happening. E was here; in her room whilst she was make-upless and most likely had an atrocious bed-head. Then again, this was Astro, she knew he wouldn't care.

"You're here early." She tried to say as casually as she could as she subtly attempted to fix her hair.

"Actually, it's almost eleven o'clock." Astro pointed out as Cora stood from her bed and straightened her pyjamas. Her eyes widened when he said this.

"It is?" She glanced towards the clock to see he was indeed right.

"We've been trying to wake you up for like, twenty minutes." Astro shrugged. "Lottie gave up and decided to send me in." Cora scowled a bit at this. Lottie was such a troll. Subconsciously, she reached a hand up to her forehead and fingered the red mark that was forming there. "How's your head?" Astro asked, noticing this. She smiled at him.

"It's still on." The robot teen laughed, shaking his head.

"Good." Astro turned towards the door, heading out of the bedroom. "Guess I'll give you some privacy. I'll tell the others you're up." He said over his shoulder.

"Others?" Cora echoed. Astro stopped in the doorway and turned to address her.

"Yeah. I uh, I bought Zoran with me. I hope that's ok." A smile spread across Cora's face. She had been dying to meet his little sister, ever since he first told her about her over the phone.

"It's fine. Give me fifteenth minutes to get ready, 'k." Astro sent her one last smile and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Cora hurried around the room, attempting to get ready as fast as she could. She spent five minutes in the shower, thoroughly washing her mid-length black hair before quickly drying it, leaving it naturally straight. Finally, she pulled on a pair of black jeans, a long sleeved, deep green shirt and a purple vest top; similar to what she used to wear when she was younger.

After applying her make-up, Cora left her bedroom and followed the sound of voices that was floating down the hall. When she finally reached the living room the automatic doors slid open revealing two familiar faces and one much smaller and unfamiliar.

The little girl currently hanging from her robotic friends neck, she could only describe as being a mini Astro. Even her hair was styled similar to his, though Cora had to admit it defiantly suited her. The young girls eyes suddenly met with hers and a bright smile lit up her face.

In a movement that was to fast to follow the child had released her grip on Astro's neck and made a dash for Cora.

"Hi!" She squealed as she wrapped her little arms around the teenagers legs. "I'm Zoran!" Cora was a little taken back, wobbling slightly from the impact before regaining her balence. She carefully pried Zoran's fingers from her jeans then knelt down to the little girls hight, placing her hands on her small shoulders.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Zoran." Cora said with a smile. "Astro's told me a lot about you."

"Really?" Zoran asked, her eyes practically sparkling. Cora nodded.

"Yep." Zoran giggled, making Cora laugh as well. The young woman looked up at the sound of someone approaching.

"I told her how annoying you are." Astro joked, ruffling his little sisters hair. Zoran swatted his hand away and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're gon' mess it up." The child pouted as she flattened down her dark hair. Cora laughed softly at their show of affection, making Astor smile as he picked Zoran up off the floor, holding her under one arm, against his hip.

"C'mon, let's move somewhere more comfortable." The robot suggested as he moved towards the couch with Zoran giggling and pounding on his leg as he walked.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to crawl out of bed." Lottie jabbed as they joined her in front of the T.V.

"No thanks to you." Cora whacked her friend up side the head as she flopped down on the couch next to her.

"Gracefull." Lottie muttered, rubbing the back of her head. "Anyways, I tried to get you up like seven times but you wouldn't budge." She smirked as she glanced over as Astro, who had placed himself and Zoran on the floor opposite them, leaning against the coffee table. "Besides, I had back-up."

Cora felt her face turn red as she heard said back-up laugh at something his sister had said.

"Jerk." She pouted as Lottie laughed beside her.

"Worked pretty well too." She sent Cora a knowing look and nudged her with her elbow. Cora scowled and nudged her back, slightly harder.

"Shut up." She hissed, but that only that only Lottie laugh louder.

"What are you laughing at?" Astro suddenly piped up making Cora's face redden once again.

"Nothing." She said a little to hastily. The robot teen simply rose an eyebrow and let it drop.

"Okaay." He dragged out making Cora blush harder. She quickly grappled the remote and made a show of flicking through the channels.

A slightly awkward silence fell over the group, Cora's gaze never leaving the T.V as Lottie continued to smirk next to her. Zoran just looked between each of the teenagers with a confused expression.

"Oh yeah." It was Astro's voice that broke the silence. "I tested Zane earlier, to see if he and the twins wanted to hang out with us."

"What did he say?" Cora asked, moving her attention to him, the T.V forgotten.

"No good." Astro replied. "One of the twins pranks got a little out of hand and Zane offered to help them clean up the orphanage." Cora frowned.

"They still hav'nt been adopted." It was more of a statement than an actual question. Astro shook his head sadly.

"No." He sighed. "Zane can leave as soon as he turns eighteen, but he's worried about the twins." Cora's expression turned dark as she thought about her friends. "But I'm sure it'll be fine." Astro hurried on. "I mean sure, it's not exactly Hamegg's, but the lady who runs the orphanage is really nice. She'll take care of them." Cora smiled at his attempt to reassure her.

"You're right." She said. "They'll be fine. They're strong kids." Astro chuckled.

"Yeah, they sure are." They smiled at each other, sharing a moment of understanding.

"Ehem." The two teens blushed as Lottie cleared her throat.

"A-anyway." Astro continued. "He said he'd see us tomorrow, as school."

"Urg, don't remind me." Lottie groaned as she lay her head on the back of the couch. "Do we have to go?"

"Quit whining you big baby." Cora snorted. "It won't be that bad." Lottie stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well." Astro chuckled. "Since Lottie seems so enthusiastic about school tomorrow, how 'bout we spend the day doing something besides sitting around the T.V?"

"What did you have in mind, robot boy?" Lottie asked, her interest peeked.

"I dunno." Astro paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How 'bout a milkshake? A new store opened up downtown that I've been meaning to check out."

"Sounds good to me." Cora agreed.

"Me too!" Zoran squealed, making everyone jump. They had totally forgotten that she was there. "I love milkshake!"

"Then I guess it's settled." Lottie clapped her hands on her knees as she stood from the couch. "Let us just grab our jackets then we can go." She grabbed Cora's arm and dragged her towards the bedrooms, leaving Astro and Zoran alone.

"You know Zoran." Astro started, turning to his little sister. "I don't think I've ever seen you so quiet before." Zoran looked her brother in the eye and giggled.

"Teenagers are weird." The little girl simply laughed. Astro shook his head fondly as the girls returned with there coats in hand.

"You ready to go?" Cora asked as she pulled on a dark green jacket.

"Yep." Astro replied after helping Zoran into her own lilac hoody.

"C'mon, hurry up." The little girl erged as she dragged her big brother towards the door, making him laugh.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, taking her small hand into his. "We're going."

The group hurried out of the apartment, remembering to lock up, and made their way towards Astro's car. The robot unlocked his vehicle and they all piled in, Astro in the driver's seat, Zoran taking the passenger seat and Cora and Lottie sliding in the back.

"Everyone buckled up?" Astro asked, checking over his shoulder. Cora rolled her eyes.

"Yes mom." She joked as the others laughed. "Now let's get going." The teen robot smirked at her then started up the hover car and pulled out of the apartment complex.

"Milkshakes!" Zoran cheered as they began the drive down town.

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They spent the short drive joking around and fighting over the music on the radio, the teens wanting to listen to soft rock whilst Zoran wanted to listen to her 'Pretty Princess Pony' CD.

"But it's the bestest show ever." The young girl whined, kicking her feet a little. Astro sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, keeping one hand on the wheel.

"Zoran, no one wants to listen to your kid music." He tried to reason with her. Zoran pouted and glared at her brother.

"But you usually let me listen to it." She mumbled, her cheeks puffed up.

"Yeah, well usually we don't have guests."

"You're such a meanie." Astro groaned and slumped a little in his seat.

"I don't even know why I keep it in here." He grumbled.

Whilst the. Siblings continued to argue, Cora and Lottie observed from the back seats, amusement clear on their faces. They could tell this was an argument that had happened on more than one occasion.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"ZORAN!"

"WHAT!"

"We're here." Zoran stopped glaring a hole into the side of her brothers head and gasped, plastering her to the window. Astro pulled up the car and the group came narrowing out.

"Yay!" Zoran cheered as she began to skip on ahead, only for someone to graph her hood and snag her back.

"Don't run off." Astro warned in his big brother voice, easing his grip on her hood. His little sister sent him a sheepish grin and offered her small hand, which he gladly accepted.

"So." Lottie began as she and Cora walked up beside them. "Where to?"

"This way, c'mon." Astro lead his friends and sister through the City Square, avoiding busy shoppers and working robots before finding themselves walking up to a small, rather colourful looking building.

"Wow." Cora breathed as they stared up at the store. It looked almost out of place compared to the bland white and silver colours of the rest of Metro City. "It's pretty retro."

"Yeah." Astro agreed as they walked towards the door. "But I've been told they make really good shakes."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find out." Lottie said as the quartette entered the shop, a little bell signalling their arrival. The inside was just as colourful as the outside, using the same shades of pastel pinks, baby blues and soft lilacs.

"It's so pretty." Zoran's eyes were practically sparkling as they made their way towards the counter. The young woman who worked there smiled and took their orders: Astro buying fudge brownie, Zoran, strawberry swirl, Cora, mint choc and Lottie, bubble gum blue.

"Where do you wanna sit?" Astro asked once they played the lady and took their milkshakes.

"How 'bout over there?" Lottie pointed to am empty booth in the corner with soft looking cushions. The others agreed and moved to claim their spaces; Astro and Zoran sliding in one side, Cora sitting opposite Astro and Lottie taking the seat opposite Zoran.

"It's not bad." Cora commented as she took a sip of her drink.

"It's awesome." Lottie agreed, already a quarter of the way through her own shake.

"Definatly found my new favourite place." Astro nodded. "We'll have to bring Zane and the twins next time, they'll love it." The others made noises of agreement before going silent, simply enjoying the strong flavours of their drinks.

"I can't wait to see the others tomorrow." Cora suddenly piped up then aimed her next question at Astro. "Have they changed much?"

"Physically yes, mentally no." The robot laughed. Cora joined in, their laughter melding together. "No, but seriously." Astro continued once he calmed himself. "They hav'nt really changed."

"That's good." Cora sighed, happy that none of her friends had changed in the time she was gone.

"It defiantly makes school life more interesting." Astro chuckled.

"I would have thought so." Cora giggled. "The thought of Zane in school is just...bazaar." She suddenly got a thoughtful look on her face. "What does he take anyway?" Astro shook his head, innocently sipping on his milkshake.

"Ah ah, you'll just have to ask him yourself tomorrow." Cora pouted and kicked his leg under the table.

"Ow." The robot teen said flatly. Cora stuck her tongue out a him and turned back to her drink.

"We're still here you know." Lottie's voice suddenly cut in, startling the two.

"Heh, sorry." Cora apologized, she and Astro sharing a sheepish expressions. Lottie looked at Zoran with a raised eyebrow. The little girl giggled, the straw of her milkshake never leaving her mouth.

"What are we going to do with them?" Lottie sighed dramatically. The child opposite mirrored her action, shaking her little head.

"Astro is weird around his girly friend." Luckily, Astro had taken a break from his drink, his brown eyes widening and his face turning bright red. Cora on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. She had just takes a sip when Zoran said this and ended up choking, spewing her shake all over the unfortunate boy sitting opposite her. Meanwhile, Lottie was cracking up, wiping thick tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Oh my God, Astro, I'm so sorry." Cora apologized frantically, her cheeks red as she leant over the table with a hand full of napkins.

"Its fine." The android reassured, cringing as he wiped mint flavoured milkshake out of his eyes, feeling it drip down the side of his head and onto his clothes.

Cora handed him a napkin and helped him clean his face. Lottie only continued to laugh whilst Zoran just looked plain confused.

"What?" The small girl asked. "What did I say?"

"N-Nothing." Astro stuttered as Cora continued to help him clean off. "I'm, er, I'm just gonna nip to the bathroom." The teen robot manoeuvred around his sister and headed towards the men's room. Cora leant her head on the now clean table and groaned.

"Well that was interesting." Lottie chuckled as she patted her friend on the back. Cora mumbled something under her breath and swatted her hand away, though her head instantly shot up at the sound of footsteps approaching the table. She's watched as Astro returned, scrubbing at a green stain on his white shirt making her feel guilty.

"I'm sorry." She apologised again. Astro waved her off and smiled.

"It's no big deal." He said. "I've got a dozen just like it."

The group quickly finished their milkshakes, or what was left in Cora's case, said their goodbyes to the lady behind the counter, then left the small store.

"So, now what?" Lottie asked as they all got back into Astro's car.

"Well, it's getting kind of late." The robot pointed out. "I really aught to get Zoran home."

"Aww." Zoran complained, slumping in her seat. The drive back to the girls apartment was a lot calmer with small conversation here and there, untill they finally arrived.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Astro said as he let the girls out of the car.

"Yeah." Cora replied. "Sorry again for, you know, spitting milkshake on you." Astro laughed.

"I told you, it's fine." He reassured with a wave of his hand. "See you guys tomorrow." He called out the window as he drove off. Cora and Lottie chuckled when they heard Zoran shout bye, before heading into their apartment.

"That was fun." Lottie said as they walked into the living room and flopped on the couch.

"It sure was." Cora agreed, kicking off her shoes.

"Even the part when you spat all over Astro's face." Lottie laughed as one of Cora's shoes came flying at her head. The pitcher scowled as she pushed her friend of the couch.

"Bed." Cora commanded. "We have to get up early tomorrow. Don't wanna be late on out first day of school." Lottie groaned from her place on the floor.

"Don't remained me."

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**I love Zoran ^-^ **

**I'm looking forward to the next chap, they finally go to school, plus Zane finally comes into the story. Untill then :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Cora and Lottie found themselves dragging their still groggy bodies out of their warm beds. The clock was showing the time 6:45 as the girls met in the kitchen to make breakfast.

"I hate this already." Lottie grumbled as she dropped like a bag of bricks into a chair at the table.

"Hmg." Cora groaned in agreement, reaching into a cupboard to retrieve the cereal before moving to the fridge for the milk. Lastly, she grabbed two bowls and two spoons and placed them on the table. She slumped, not so gracefully, into the chair opposite her friend and poured herself some cereal, Lottie following her lead.

"You looking forward to seeing your friends?" Lottie asked when she was slightly mote alert. Cora yawned, covering her mouth with her hand before smiling at her room-mate.

"Yeah, I feel like I haven't seen them in forever." She got a slightly dazed look in her eyes as her heart fluttered in excitement at finally being able to reunite with her other friends. The pair hurriedly finished their breakfast then returned to their rooms to get ready for the school day ahead.

"CORA! YOU SEEN MY BLACK JEANS?" Lottie shouted from her bedroom. Cora dug through her suitcase until she finally found the required piece of clothing.

"I GOT 'EM!" She called back. She stuck the jeans out of the door and felt her friend take them.

"Thief." Lottie joked, quickly returning to her room. Cora laughed and continued to get ready. She had a quick shower, drying and straightening her hair once _she_ was done, then applied her makeup before finally pulling on some clothes.

"Lottie, you ready?" She asked, pounding on her friends door.

"Alright, alright." Lottie huffed as she swung the door open. "I'm ready. Sheesh." Cora rolled her eyes and dragged her to the living room where they grabbed their bags and jackets and left the apartment.

"Did you remember to pick up our details?" Lottie asked as they walked out of the lobby and into the street.

"Yep." Cora reassured, patting her bag. "C'mon, the bus will be here soon." The two friends hurried to the bus stop just as the hover bus arrived.

"Another close call." Lottie sighed as they placed themselves near the back. "We're not having much luck with the busses here." She pointed out making Cora chuckle as the bus took off.

It wasn't long before the bus was pulling up outside Metro City High School. The girls glanced out of the window at all of the students that were gathered in the school yard, waiting for the bell. Cora found herself scanning the crowd, hoping to possibly see any familiar faces.

"Recognise anyone?" Lottie piped up next to her. Cora shook her head. The pair left the bus and followed the sea of people into the school as the bell went off, signalling the start of the day. They soon found themselves wondering the halls, having no idea where they were going.

"Where's the principals office?" Lottie called over the bustling noise.

"I dunno, I've never been here before." Cora answered as she checked each door they passed.

"Great." Lottie muttered as students continued to shove past them. Cora was quick to give up the search and decided to ask for help.

"Excuse me." She asked a random girl as she walked past. The girl stopped and looked at them with a confused expression, obviously not recognising them. "Can you tell us where the principals office is?"

"Oh, sure." The girl said then pointed down the hall. "Just continue down this hallway then turn right, it's the first door you'll come to." They thanked the girl before continuing on in the direction she instructed.

"Found it." Lottie announced when they turned the corner. She knocked on the door and waited for a response. They didn't have to wait long as the silver, automatic door slid open with a soft hiss, signalling for them to enter.

"Ah, you must be the new transfer students." The principal was a middle aged man with dark hair and a kind face; he wore a neat, black suit with a grey tie. "I'm Principal Ashcroft." The man introduced, offering his hand. The girls took turns shaking it and introducing themselves before taking a seat opposite him.

"Now." Ashcroft began, getting straight down to business. "Your files have already been sent ahead from you previous school, but I still need something to verify your identities." Cora pulled her bag onto her lap and pulled out two pieces of paper with hers and Lottie's details. The man took the papers and read them over. Once he was satisfied, he reached behind his desk and pulled out their timetables. He handed them to the girls and gave them some more information and a run down of the rules before allowing them to leave.

"Hold on a second ladies." Principal Ashcroft called out. Cora and Lottie turned to see him pull out another piece of paper; taking it when it was offered to them. "A map, just until you get used to the layout." He explained. The pair thanked him and left the office.

"Guess we better find our lockers." Lottie said, examining her paper. "I've got locker…207. You?"

"208." Cora replied. They whipped out the map, using it to locate their locker numbers. Once they were found, they entered their combinations and pulled them open. Or at least they tried to.

"C'mon." Cora grunted though her teeth as she jiggled the handle, unable to get her locker to open.

"Maybe you put in the wrong combo." Lottie suggested as she watched her friend struggle. Cora considered this and re-entered her combination, but again, her locker wouldn't open. The teen groaned. She was about to try a final time but was startled when a fist reached past her face and banged a few times on the locker door. This time the door slid open with a quick hiss.

"I had that locker last year." A familiar voice said behind her. "It just takes a few hits." A smile spread on Cora's face as she turned to meet large, brown eyes.

"Hey." She greeted, pulling him in for a quick hug.

"Hey yourself." Astro chuckled, returning the embrace. The pair broke apart, allowing Astro to address the other girl. "Morning Lottie."

"What up, robot boy." Lottie replied with a small, tired wave.

"How you holding up?" The robot asked.

"Urg, don't even go there." She mumbled in response making Astro laugh.

"That bad huh?"

"She's never been much of a morning person." Cora cut in as she fiddled with her locker.

"That makes two of us." Astro snorted as the girls giggled.

"Oh yeah." Cora suddenly exclaimed. "Have you seen Zane yet?" She asked, excited to finally see her other friend.

"Yeah, he should be-"

"Right here." Another voice cut Astro off and made Cora freeze. Just like with Astro, she recognised this voice, and again it sounded slightly different: deeper, more mature.

She peered over Astro's shoulder and saw a boy approaching them. He was tall with tanned skin and a head of thick, black hair. Just like herself, his fashion sense hadn't changed much over the years. Even though he was taller and older looking, Cora could still easily recognise his face.

"Zane!" She called excitedly, running up to meet her old friend. When she reached him she didn't hesitate to throw herself around his neck. Zane caught her easily and laughed.

"Well well, look who finally returned to our fair city." He said as they broke the embrace. "It's been a while, Cora."

"To long." Cora agreed. Now that she was closer she was able to see a bit of stubble growing on his jawline and above his lips that definitely made him look more mature and suited him quit well.

"How've you been?" Zane asked, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"Better now that I'm back." Cora responded with a smile.

"Bet it was real boring without us around." Zane smirked, nudging her slightly making Cora laugh.

"Definitely." She snickered.

"So the truth comes out." Lottie piped up behind her, crossing her arms and glaring slightly, though Cora could tell she wasn't being serious. Zane looked over Cora's shoulder at the dark clad girl that was currently standing next to Astro wearing a mock angry look.

"And who do we have here?" He asked as he walked past Cora and approached the girl. Astro simple rolled his eyes at his friends behaviour.

"Lottie." The girl said bluntly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lottie." Zane replied, not put off by her simple answer. He took her hand and looked for a moment like he was going to kiss it, that is until he yelped in pain as Lottie took his hand and twisted it with little effort.

"Pleasures all mine." Lottie said sweetly as Astro and Cora snickered beside them.

"Feisty." Zane muttered, rubbing his sore hand.

"That's what happens when _you_ try and flirt with girls." Astro chuckled, however, his laughing stopped immediately when he received a small glare from his friend.

"You!" Zane suddenly exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the robot.

"Me?" Astro asked, a little taken back.

"Yeah you. Way to ditch me dude. I ended up walking down the hall talking to myself." The shaggy haired teen explained as he threw an arm around Astro's shoulders.

"Oh…heh, sorry." Astro apologised sheepishly. "I saw Cora struggling with her locker and since, you know, I had that locker last year, I thought I'd give her a hand…'n stuff." Zane smirked as Astro blushed. Nothing good came from Zane smirking.

"So that's all, eh?" He asked knowingly, poking Astro's pink cheek. The robot teen scowled and swatted Zane's hand away from his face.

"Jerk." He mumbled, shoving the boy away who only laughed. Cora watched the exchange with a small smile. The boys had definitely gotten closer over the years. She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous, wondering what it would have been like if she hadn't moved.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in class?" Lottie suddenly asked. The boys stopped messing around and looked at her with blank stares.

"…"

"…"

"CRAP!" They both exclaimed before running off in the direction of their homeroom.

"We'll see you guys at break!" Astro called over his shoulder as he and Zane rounded the corner leaving Cora and Lottie alone in the now empty hallway. The girls simply blinked at their rapid exit.

"Ok then." Lottie said, clapping her hands together. "Guess we better find our homeroom. You got the map Cora?"

"Yeah." Cora pulled the map out of her pocket. "What room are we in?"

"We're in…C13." It didn't take long for the girls to locate their homeroom. The automatic door slid open causing all the students in the room to stop whatever it was they were doing and observe the new arrivals.

"This is making me so uncomfortable." Lottie whispered in Cora's ear. Cora nodded in agreement before the teacher finally noticed them.

"Ah, you must be the new students." Their homeroom teacher was a slim woman with blond hair tied in a tight bun with a side fringe. A pair of glasses rested on her nose, covering her light blue eyes. "I'm Mrs Teal." The woman introduced kindly, ushering them to come in. "Would you like to introduce yourselves?"

Cora and Lottie quickly, and slightly awkwardly, introduced themselves before finding two empty seats near the back of the class.

Throughout homeroom, Cora couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching her. She looked to her right to see a dark skinned boy openly staring at her with deep brown eyes and a calculating expression.

"What?" She whispered at him when he continued to stare.

"You're Astro's friend right?" Cora was a little taken back by his response, her brows furrowed.

"How'd you know?" She asked.

"He talks about you a lot. He said you were coming." Cora felt her face flush a bit when he said this. "My name's Kennedy." The boy offered.

"Cora." She replied.

"I know, you said." Kennedy chuckled making Cora's blush deepen.

"Oh, right." She face palmed as Kennedy continued to snicker.

"Kennedy, is there something amusing you wish to share with the rest of the class?" Mrs Teal asked with a raised eyebrow. The boy shut up instantly.

"No Miss." He said quickly. This time it was Cora's turn to snicker, though she did a better job of hiding it.

"Very well then. Do kindly pay attention." Mrs Teal replied, going back to teaching the lesson.

Once homeroom was over Cora and Lottie had to go separate ways since they had different lessons. Lottie quickly used her phone to take a picture of the map so she wouldn't get lost then the girls agreed to meet back at their lockers at break.

Cora's next hour was spent in Mr Mustachio's math lesson, writing down notes and doing advanced equations. Time seemed to drag on before the bell finally sounded, signalling the start of break. Cora gathered up her things and left the class room.

"Hey Cora." She turned to see Kennedy walking down the hall, making his way towards her.

"Oh, hey Kennedy." She replied, smiling at her new friend.

"Just Ken is fine." He said with a wave of his hand. "Kennedy is way to long." Cora laughed a little as they began walking towards her locker. "So, how do you like it here so far?"

"It's crowded." Cora answered bluntly making Ken laugh.

"True." He agreed as they found Lottie leaning against her locker, already engaged in a conversation with Astro and Zane. Astro was the first to notice them, smiling as he waved them over.

"Making friends already I see." The robot chuckled when they finally reached them, greeting Ken and giving him a quick fist bump.

"Eh, what can I say, guess I'm just good like that." Cora boasted, making a show of examining her nails.

"Pfft, since when?" Lottie snorted.

"Since always." Cora replied with a small pout. The group laughed but two additional voices abruptly cut into the noise.

"Hey guys." A younger, female voice called. Cora felt her heart flutter as she looked around the group and saw two smaller figures running towards them. She easily recognised the puffy pigtails and shaggy brown hair.

"Widget! Sludge!" The teen exclaimed excitedly.

"Cora!" The twins shouted back in unison as they barrelled into her which resulted in them falling onto the rest of the group and all the teens ending up tumbling to the floor in a mass of flailing limbs and laughter. The students in the hall gave them funny looks but didn't comment; they were already used to this groups particularly erratic behaviour.

"You're back." Widget squealed as she hugged Cora tightly around her neck.

"We missed you so much." Sludge continued, sitting up from his place on the floor and giving her a wide grin.

"I missed you too." Cora said as she hugged the pre-teens. "God, you guys have grown." She observed as she looked her friends up and down.

"Psst, that's nothing compared to Astro." The male twin waved off.

"Yeah, I bet that surprised you." Widget giggled.

"It sure did." Cora agreed.

"Yeah, you should have seen her face." Astro's voice came from directly above her and only now did she realise she was actually leaning on his chest. She blushed and looked at the rest of her friends. Lottie was leaning on Astro's side whilst the robot supported both of their weights; one of Astro's legs was flung over Kens whilst Ken himself was resting an elbow on Zane's shoulder. All in all, they probably looked pretty ridiculous, but none of them made any effort to move. That is until a large shadow loomed over them. The teens looked up and saw principal Ashcroft staring down at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Heh…Hi sir." Astro said with a sheepish smile.

"Are you all comfortable down there?" The man asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Actually, it is pretty cozy." Zane said, leaning back against the locker.

"Yes, well that may be so, but this a school, not a social club." The Principal pointed out. "Now if you please, you're blocking the hall way." The group hurriedly got to their feet, sputtering out apologies. Ashcroft simply shook his head and left them alone, having to deal with another situation further down the hall.

"Ashcroft didn't seem to surprised to see you all lying on the floor." Lottie said as she dusted her pants off.

"Yeah well, lets just say he's caught us in…stranger situations." Astro explained, sending a pointed look in the twins direction but they simply smiled innocently. The girls gave them a look that said 'you better tell us later' until Cora noticed something still on the floor.

"Astro, you dropped your book." Cora pointed out as she recognised the book as the one Astro was holding before they all fell. She bent down and retrieved it, examining the cover.

"Ecology?" She asked, slightly surprised. "You're doing Environmental Studies?"

"Yeah." Astro replied, taking the book out of her hands and observing Cora's expression. "Why so surprised?"

"It's just, I thought you would have gone into robotics or something, like your dad." The girl quickly explained. Astro smiled, understanding why she would think that.

"I was going to, but the more I thought about it, the weirder it seemed."

"Weird how?" Lottie questioned.

"I don't know, a robot making robots, it just seems a bit strange."

"It's not strange." Cora defended.

"Meh, I'm not really that interested in it anymore anyway." Astro said with a dismissive wave.

"What did your dad have to say about that?" Cora asked.

"He was actually really understanding." Astro responded. "Sure he was a little shocked at first, but he understood once I explained."

"That's good." Cora smiled. "So, why Environmental Studies?"

"Well, I was talking to Dr. Elefun and we just randomly got on the topic of the Blue Core and he told me that it was originally supposed to be used to help clean up the surface, so I decided that's what I wanna do." Astro finish explaining. He turned to his friends and saw them all staring at him intently.

"That's pretty cool." Lottie breathed. This guy was just full of surprises. Cora simply smiled at him. Now that she thought about it this definitely seemed like something Astro would do.

"And he's pretty serious about it too." Ken cut in, placing a hand on Astro's shoulder causing him to flush slightly at all the attention.

"Yeah." Zane chuckled. "He's even volunteered down at the Restoration Centre."

"Guys." Astro pouted at his friends but they only laughed.

"Don't be modest, dude." Ken patted him on the back making Astro whine childishly. They were broken out of the moment by the sound of the bell, signalling the end of break.

"Guess we'll see you guys at lunch." Zane said as he and Ken dragged a still pouting Astro down the hall towards their next lessons.

"Sure, see you later." Lottie waved as they walked away. Just as they were about to turn the corner, Astro looked over his shoulder, his warm, brown eyes meeting Cora's deep blue. He smiled at her and she smiled back before he disappeared down the hallway.

"I saw that." Lottie snickered, breaking Cora out of her trance.

"Huh, wha?" Lottie shook her head at her delusional friend and pushed her towards their next lesson.

"C'mon Juliet, we're gonna be late."

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Once again, time seemed to drag on for Cora as she sat through her next lessons. She stared continuously at the clock, willing for the hour to end.

"C'mon, c'mon." She mumbled to herself, tapping aimlessly on her holo-desk. Her prayers were answered when the bell finally sounded, signalling the end of the lesson and the start of lunch. She jumped out of her seat and stuffed her things into her bag before following her classmates out of the door.

Cora wondered down the hallway, keeping with the crowd and hoping they would lead her to the cafeteria. Luck seemed to be on her side as she soon found herself walking into a large dining hall full of tables and the loud chatting of students.

"CORA!" The girl turned to see Sludge waving at her from one of the tables. She smiled and quickly made her way over.

"Hey." She greeted as she took a seat next to Lottie who had gotten there just before her. She looked around the table to see who was here: Lottie, Zane, the twins, Ken.

"Where's Astro?" She asked as she pulled her lunch out of her bag.

"He's just getting some food." Ken answered. "He'll be back in a minute." As if on cue, Cora heard footsteps approaching their table. She looked up and saw Astro walking their way, holding a tray and engaged in a conversation with an unrecognisable boy.

The boy looked to be their age with a shaved head and thick, round glasses covering his dark eyes. He wore a vest over a white polo-shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers giving him a subtle 'nerd' kind of look.

"Hey Cora." Astro said as he and the boy took a seat opposite her.

"Hi." She replied with a smile. "Who's this?" She asked, gesturing to the boy.

"Oh right, Cora, this is Alejo, Alejo, Cora."

"Nice to meet you Cora." Alejo greeted, offering his hand. "Astro's told me a lot about you." He smirked when he heard Astro choke slightly next to him.

Cora's cheeks flushed as she shook his hand. This was the second person to tell her this today.

"So." Astro began hastily, making it look like he hadn't just choked on his food. "What exactly are you guys studying?" He asked, directing his question to Cora and Lottie.

"Art." Lottie said over a mouth full of food.

"Gross." Cora gagged, nudging her friend who simply shrugged.

"What about you Cora?" Zane asked, leaning forward on the table.

"Um…I decided to study…Robotics." Cora replied. She was confused as why she felt slightly nervous admitting it. She looked over at Astro and saw his eyes light up, making her cheeks turn pink.

"Really?" The bot questioned, receiving a nod in response. "That's awesome."

"What made you choose Robotics?" Widget cut in. 'To help Astro.' Cora blinked when this was the first thing that came to her head.

"I dunno, I guess growing up with Hamegg and then meeting Astro, I just became interested." She internally face-palmed at how the end off that sentence sounded, especially when she saw everyone (except Astro) smirk around her.

"You did huh?" Zane's smirk deepened along with Cora's blush. She tried to ignore the knowing looks and turned her attention to Astro who had gone surprisingly quiet.

The robot boy was staring down at his food with a glazed look in his eyes and a deep frown on his face, as though he was thinking deeply about something.

"You ok Astro?" She asked in concern. The rest of the group also turned to face him when she said this. Astro blinked and looked up at his friends.

"Huh, yeah…yeah, I'm fine." He reassured with a small smile.

"You sure?" Alejo said, not at all convinced.

"Mhm, just thinking."

"Bout what?" Widget questioned, resting her chin on her hand. "It looked pretty serious."

"It's nothing, really." The others didn't look convinced but decided to drop it.

"So Zane, what exactly are you studying?" Cora asked, getting back to their previous conversation.

"Oh yeah, I'm doing Engineering." Zane said rather proudly.

"Do you have a car?"

"Yeah…well, sort of. I bought an older, pretty run down model that I'm trying to fix up."

"He's doing a pretty good job of it too." Astro complimented as he sipped on a carton of apple juice.

"I'd probably do a better job if you'd let me look at your car." Zane pouted.

"Fat chance you're touching my car." The robot teen scoffed.

"You're so stingy." Zane sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear out of his eye.

"You know it." The group of friends laughed as Astro smiled sweetly at Zane whilst he glared softly at him.

"And what about you guys?" Cora aimed this question at the last two boys.

"I'm in Sports Studies." Ken answered. "Soccer mainly."

"I'm focusing on advanced mathematics." Alejo said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. Cora nodded. She had a feeling he would be doing something like that.

Since Widget and Sludge were still juniors, they had yet to choose their main study and were still stuck doing the core subjects, much to their dismay.

The rest of lunch went by smoothly, filled with chatter and laughter and it wasn't long before the bell went off, signalling the end of the lunch hour. The group of friends quickly said their goodbyes then went their separate ways.

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The last hours of the day went by without a problem and Cora soon found herself and Lottie following the crowd of students out of school doors to the sound of the final bell.

"That wasn't too bad." Lottie admitted as she stretched her arms.

"See, I told you so." Cora said smugly as she nudged her friend.

"Don't celebrate just yet Cora, that was only the first day."

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Bleh, I have writers block DX again. Oh well. Hopefully something will start happening in this story soon, like bad guys and fights and evil plans and all that jazz :P But until then, here's some fluffy friendshippy crap :)

I decided to add some of Astro's friends from the 2003 series, coz I like em :P There's one more friend left to introduce, but that'll be later on. Plus I'll be explaining more about the restoration centre.

Until then :)


	5. Chapter 5

Yay, chapter 5 :D I've started writing this on my phone, which means I can work on it wherever I am. Hopefully this'll help me get chapters out a but quicker (probably not) but I'll try.

I don't own Astro Boy

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The next two days flew by fast and before Cora new it, it was already Thursday. She found that she had learnt more about robotics in these two days than the years she spent at her old school. Probably one of the perks of being educated in the most robot industrialised city in the world.

Cora and her friends, old and new, walked out of the main school doors, chatting and laughing; pleased that another school day was over.

"Lottie, you've still got some paint on your face." Cora pointed out as she poked her friends cheek.

"Oh please." Lottie sniffed, pushing her hand away from her face. "I'm an artist, and art is messy."

"True, but the idea is to clean up after lessons." Ken chuckled as they made their way down the steps and into the school yard.

"Meh." Lottie simply shrugged, making no effort to remove the yellow stain on her cheek.

"So, you guys doing anything later?" Cora asked, hoping to spend more time with her friends.

"Sorry Cora, but I gotta jet." Astro apologised, thrusting a thumb in the direction of the parking lot. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, ok." The robot waved as he walked off in the direction of his car.

"Where's he going?" Cora asked the remaining teens.

"Its Thursday." Alejo stated. "He helps out at the Restoration Centre on Thursdays."

"And Fridays." Sludge cut in.

"And don't forget about Mondays." Widget included. Now that she thought about it, Cora didn't remember seeing him after school on Monday. She stared in the direction her robotic friend left, a thought full expression on her face.

"Where exactly is the Restoration Centre?" The rest of the group shared a knowing look.

"It's at the south end of the City." Zane answered. "Why?"

"Eh, no reason." Cora replied casually.

"Would you like some directions." Alejo suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"I can write down some directions if you want?" The nerd pulled some paper and a pen out of his bag before she could protest, then began writing down some simple directions. "Here." He offered the paper to Cora who looked a little unsure.

"Are you sure it's ok?" She looked at the paper uncertainly.

"It's fine." Zane reassured. "We pop up there all the time."

"It's a pretty cool place." Ken cut in. "You should really check it out."

"Maybe I will." Cora concluded. "You guys coming?"

"Sorry, I got soccer practice." Ken smiled apologetically and walked off towards the sports field. "I'll see you later."

"Alejo?"

"Sorry Cora, but the mathletes need my genius."

Cora watched him walk away then turned to the twins.

"Guys?"

"Cant, we've got stuff to do." Widget replied.

"We do?" Widget subtly elbowed her twin.

"Yes, we do." She quickly grabbed Sludge's arm and dragged him off to who knows where. Cora sighed and turned to the last remaining male.

"What about you Za-" He was gone. Cora blinked, staring in bemusement at the spot where Zane once stood.

"Ok then, guess its just you and me Lottie." She turned to face her friend and was met with a sheepish smile.

"Heh, sorry Cora. We just got our new project in art and I really wanna get started. You"ll be fine on your own right?" Cora gave her friend a slightly shocked look as Lottie waved at her and left for the bus.

"And then there was one." Cora muttered to herself. She glanced down at the paper in her hands then set off in the directions instructed.

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It took half an hour of bus riding and walking until Cora finally found herself at the south end of the City. The first thing she noticed was the large, round, dome like building that was taking up a lot of land and was surrounded by wide open spaces; in the distance she could also make out the tall mounds of trash that still inhabited the surface.

She swiftly located the visitors entrance, waiting for the automatic doors to slide open, before making her way inside.

"Welcome to Metro City Restoration Centre." The woman behind the desk greeted when she spotted Cora. "May I be of any assistance?" Cora pointed to herself, receiving a nod in response.

"Oh, uh, sure." She said, walking up to the desk. "I'm looking for Astro."

"Ah, you must be one of his friends." The woman said in realisation. "I swear, that boy, always so popular." She chuckled. Cora smiled.

"ASH!" The teen jumped at the sudden exclamation. She turned to see who was the target of the receptionists shout and saw a middle aged man with sandy blond hair and stubble; he wore a high-vis vest over his blue shirt and jeans and was holding a holo-pad. He looked up from the pad when the woman called and made his way over.

"Is there a problem Heather?" He asked in a deep voice.

"No problem." Heather waved off his concern. "Is Astro with you?"

"He should be in Sector B." The man replied. "Why?"

"I've got his friend here." She said, gesturing to Cora. "I'm sorry love, what was your name?"

"Cora." The girl replied. She saw a spark of recognition on the adults faces.

"I'll take her." Ash said. "But she's gonna need a high-vis." Heather reached behind her desk and pulled out a smaller yellow vest and handed it over. Cora thanked the woman and pulled the safety clothing over her shoulders. "Follow me Cora, and please stay close." She nodded in understanding and followed the man through the facility.

"So, I'll take it you're the girl Astro told me about." Ash stated as they walked down the hall that led to Sector B.

"I guess I am." Cora responded. She was starting to get used to this. The man chuckled at her answer.

"So what brings you down here alone? It's usually a group of you."

"The others are busy." She explained. "Plus I really wanted to see this place. They said it was ok."

"Of course, any friend of Astro is a friend of ours." Ash reassured.

"I guess he's pretty popular here." Cora noted, not that surprised.

"Sure, he's a good kid. He definitely works hard." The man said fondly making Cora smile.

They soon arrived at a new part of the building, walking into a large room full of expensive looking machinery and people dressed in high vision vests.

"Cora?" The girl turned at the familiar voice and saw Astro making his way towards them, also wearing a yellow vest over his t-shirt along with a staff lanyard around his neck, holding an I.D card. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a big smile.

"The guys told me I should check it out so I decided to come." Cora shrugged, smiling up at him.

"Where's everyone els?" Astro looked around to see if could spot any of his other friends. No luck.

"They're 'busy'." She answered, using finger quotes when she said the word busy and rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure they are." The robot teen chuckled. The two weren't as oblivious as the others thought; they new exactly what they were up to.

"Astro, how are the measurements coming along?" Ash suddenly cut in.

"All good here Ash." Astro responded. The man smiled and patted him on the back.

"Good, good." Ash said approvingly. "You really aught to let us pay you, you know." This caught Cora's attention.

"You don't get paid?" She questioned.

"It wouldn't really be volunteer work if I did." Astro shrugged with a little laugh.

"Maybe so, but with the work you do, you really should let us pay you something." The older man insisted.

"Maybe in the future, once I've finished college, I'll get a job full time then you can pay me. Deal?" Astro asked with a smile making Ash laugh.

"I'm gonna hold you on that deal." Ash promised. "Now go on, show your friend around, but be careful."

"I always am, thanks Ash." Astro and Cora waved as the man walked away to continue his work.

"C'mon, there's something I wanna show you." Astro said, taking Cora's hand making her blush. He quickly dragged her out of the door and down a different hallway to the one she previously came up.

"So what was that room about?" Cora asked, engaging in conversation, silently enjoying the fact that Astro had yet to let go of her hand.

"Hm? Oh that. That's where we're growing different types of plants and trees 'n stuff." The bot explained.

"What were all those machines?"

"Mostly just incubators and artificial environments so we can monitor the plants growth, see how well they survive under certain conditions.""That's pretty cool." Cora said, rather impressed. "So where exactly are you taking me." Astro simply smiled at her.

"You'll see."

The pair continued walking through the facility with Astro explaining each room they past and the type of work they where doing until they finally stopped outside a large, silver door.

The robot teen took the card out of his lanyard and scanned it through the I.D lock that was on the wall. Cora held her breath as the doors opened, however, this breath was instantly lost when she finally got a good look at where they where.

The room, if you could even call it that, behind the door looked more like an enormous woodland. It had to be at least an acre. Completely full with different verities of trees that reached all the way up to the glass roof were the sunlight was shining through, giving the entire place a surreal and serene look.

She looked down at the dirt floor and even noticed grass and plants growing as well. The teen felt herself wonder over to a patch of flowers, crouching down to get a better look at all the beautiful colours that were surrounding her.

Cora raised from the ground as Astro walked up beside her.

"So…what do you think?" He asked, taking in her awestruck expression.

"It's…It's…amazing." Cora breathed, struggling to take it all in.

"I know right." Astro agreed. "The Green House is my favourite place in here." He got a dreamy look on his face as he gazed at their surroundings. "Makes you wonder what it would have been like before, y'know."

"Before we ruined it." Cora nodded in understanding. She was slightly startled when something colourful flew past her face. "No way. Is that a…"

"Butterfly." Astro finished. "It sure is."

"You have bugs here?" The young woman asked in bewilderment.

"Only a few. But we're slowly bringing them back. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring back some animal species as well."

"That's incredible." Cora was beyond impressed. "Now I know why you wanna be a part of it."

"It's hard work." Astro nodded. "But we'll get it back someday. Overcome the effects of centuries of pollution and get this planet back to how it's supposed to be." Cora looked up at her robotic friend in astonishment. He had definitely become passionate about this over the years. She couldn't help but smile. What had happened to the stuttering little robot she had met all those years ago.

"C'mon, lets go further in." Astro insisted, once again taking her hand and leading her through the man-made woodland. Cora watched him intently, enjoying the way he animatedly explained about the stable environment inside the green house and describe all the different trees and plants that were growing there and especially loving the feel of his hand in hers as they walked down the dirt path.

The teens spent a whole hour wondering around the green house, simply enjoying each others company and the scenery around them. They would have carried on for much longer, however, the sound of Astro's watch beeping ruined the moment.

"I should really get back to work." The boy said as he checked his wrist, sending Cora an apologetic look.

"That's fine." Cora smiled reassuringly. "Don't let me hold you up."

"Thanks Cora." Astro said sincerely. "I'll walk you back to the main entrance." Once they made it back to the lobby, Cora pulled him into a quick hug.

"I'll see you later." She promised as they pulled apart. She sent him one last wave before he disappeared back into the crowd of people.

"Did you have fun, dear?" Heather asked, leaning on the counter as Cora walked past. The teen stopped and smiled at her.

"Yeah, it was amazing. This really is an incredible place." She replied honestly making Heather chuckle.

"I'm glad you think so." The woman said. "Feel free to visit any time."

"I will." Cora thank the receptionist then finally left the Restoration Centre.

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Later that evening found Cora and Lottie huddled on the couch in their apartment, already dressed in their pyjamas whilst Cora relayed her earlier events.

"And it was so beautiful." Cora said, currently describing the green house. Lottie was leant forward, hugging a pillow to her chest as she listened with great interest to her friend.

"It sounds awesome." She concluded. "I gotta go with you next time."

"Maybe it can help you in art." Cora suggested.

"That's actually a really good idea." Lottie agreed with a nod of her head. "So what happened next." She urged. Cora continued telling her story until the girls decided to settle down and watch T.V. Lottie picked up the remote and flicked aimlessly through the channels, hoping to find something that interested them.

"Wait! Stop!" Cora suddenly exclaimed, almost causing Lottie to drop the remote.

"What is it?" She asked, but Cora wasn't listening. She was staring at the television with large, unbelieving eyes. The channel she had stopped on was the news, but that's not what caught Cora's attention. On the screen was a picture of a man she hoped she would never have to see again along with words that made her stomach drop to the floor.

"Cora?" Lottie asked, concerned for her friend.

"Stone." She barely whispered.

"What?"

"…He's escaped."

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Dun dun duuuun! Someone's to unoriginal to come up with their own bad guy ;P

Anywho, I feel this story is in a need of a little action. Coz what's Astro Boy with out action. Plus, nothing says bonding and love like going through a life or death situation together.

Until next chapter :)


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry for the wait -.- I got caught up watching a bunch different of anime and guess I kinda forgot…heh. Anyhoo, on with chapter 6!**

**I don't own Astro Boy**

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The next morning was a blur. Cora barely remembered falling out of bed and rushing to get ready, anxious to get to school. Lottie could sense her friends apprehension as she hurried along beside her.

The bus ride was spent with Cora impatiently drumming her fingers, her face a mask of worry and slight fear.

"C'mon." The teen grumbled for the hundredth time making Lottie sigh.

"We'll get there when we get there." She said, but Cora wasn't listening, her gaze focused outside the window.

"Finally!" She exclaimed when the school came into view, practically pulling Lottie out of her seat and rushing off the bus.

"I've never seen someone so excited to get to school." Lottie chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood, but her joke fell on deaf ears as Cora frantically searched the school yard.

"Cora! Lottie!" The girls turned and saw Alejo hurriedly making his way towards them. "I'll take it you saw the news?" He asked once her reached them, pushing his glasses further up his nose and taking in their worried expressions.

"Yeah." Cora answered uneasily. "Where's Astro? Is he in today?"

"He's round back with the guys." Alejo jabbed a thumb in the direction of the school. "C'mon, they're all waiting for you." The girls nodded and followed him around the side of the building where they found the rest of the group huddled around one of the picnic tables, some sat on the benches whilst others sat on the table itself. They all looked to be deep in conversation, well, all except Astro that is. The android had his face buried in his hands with his elbows resting on the table where he was slouched forwards.

"I found 'em." Alejo called as they approached the table, getting the others attention. Astro also raised his head, but when he did, Cora's concern only grew.

All the colour seemed to be drained from his synthetic skin whilst his brown eyes were dark and shadowed. His usually perfectly spiked hair was slightly askew, some strands falling into his eyes and sticking up. He looked like he hadn't slept A wink last night; which was probably true.

"Are you ok Astro?" She asked as she hurried to his side, skipping the good morning. They had no time for such pleasantries. "You look sick."

"Sick with worry." Astro scoffed, rubbing an eye with the ball of his hand. "Besides, I'm a robot, I can't get sick."

"That's not true." Sludge suddenly cut in. "What about that time you got that virus. You were throwing up everywhere and you were cooped up in bed for like a week and…um…" The pre-teen trailed off when he saw Astro's slight glare. "And now is not the time for that." He said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. A tiered Astro was a grumpy Astro; not one to be trifled with.

The robot sighed and placed his head on his folded arms, grumbling something incoherent as his friends looked on in worry.

"Don't worry dude, the police are searching high and low for that nut job." Zane tried to reassure, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, but I still feel like I should be out there, helping them look." Astro said as he lifted his head. "Who knows what he could be doing right now."

"But that isn't your job." Ken attempted to reason with him.

"But it is my job." Astro countered. "I promise I'd protect this city and if people get hurt because of this then it's my fault."

"It's not your fault." Cora said softly as she sat down next to him.

"But I have the power to do something, to help." The others sighed. There was no stopping it once his hero complex arose.

"How do you know he's even planning on doing anything?" Lottie suddenly asked as she leaned on the table.

"Trust me, Stone's not the type of guy who'll willingly drop a grudge." Astro explained.

"And he must of broke out now for a reason." Cora continued. "You don't just wait four years before randomly deciding to escape."

"He's defiantly scheming something." Zane agreed whilst the twins nodded. The rest of the group shared a worried look. Unlike the original five, they weren't close to the action on the day of the Peacekeeper, though they still had a good understanding of what the ex-president was capable off.

The teens continued to be lost in their own thoughts until a soft 'thud' brought them back to reality and it didn't take them long to realise the source of the 'thud' was from a certain robots forehead hitting the table.

"Astro?!" Cora exclaimed in shock. The others frantic voices soon filling the air as they gathered closer to check on their friend.

"Dude, you ok?" Ken asked worriedly, however, the only answer he received was a soft snore. They all blinked in surprise.

"He fell asleep." Widget pointed out bluntly.

"More like passed out." Lottie huffed as she tried to calm her frantic heart. "Holy crap that scared me."

"He probably didn't sleep at all last night." Alejo said as he examined the bot. He defiantly didn't look good.

"Maybe we should get a teacher?" Widget suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

"I'll go." Ken offered. He walked towards the school entrance, leaving the group behind to search for a member of staff.

Cora continued to observe Astro's sleeping face. They had moved his arms so that they now cushioned his head, hoping he would be a bit more comfortable. Without thinking, she gently moved some of the hair out of his face, careful not to wake him. She wondered momentarily what he would look like if he didn't style his hair in his usual spikes. She was broken out of her musing by the sound of Astro mumbling something as he snuggled into his arms, making Cora smile and continue to absentmindedly stroke his hair.

"Having fun?" Cora almost fell off her chair at the sound of Lottie's voice, her face turning bright red when she realised she had been caught red handed. She began stuttering out random gibberish and excuses, but her friends only laughed.

"Don't stop." Zane snickered. "I thing he liked it." He pointed to the small smile on Astro's face making Cora blush harder. They were broken out of the moment by the sound of frantic footsteps approaching the table. They all looked up and saw Kennedy returning with Mr. Mustachio (Astro's homeroom teacher) in tow.

"What happened." The man asked as he reached the snoozing robot, looking over him with concern.

"He passed out." Cora explained, her cheeks still slightly pink. "We don't think he got any sleep last night." Mustachio got a grave look on his face.

"Is this because of what was on the news?" He asked. The teens nodded.

"He's worried himself sick over it." Zane sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"I see." The teacher mumbled, rubbing his chin. "I think I'd better contact his parents. He's defiantly in no condition to be here." Mustachio swiftly pulled out a phone and located the needed number before walking away from the table as he lifted the device to his ear.

"Guess we better wake him up." Sludge suggested. Cora nodded in agreement and gently shook Astro's shoulder.

"Astro?" He only mumbled, burying deeper into his arms. "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey." Still no good.

"That's not how you wake him." Zane said, moving closer to the sleeping teen. "Let the master show you how it's done." Cora felt slightly nauseous as she watched Zane lean closer to Astro's unsuspecting ear and take a deep breath. "ASTRO, THE SCHOOL'S ON FIRE!" The effect was instantaneous.

With an almost comical snort, the robots head shot of the table so fast that they could hear the metal clicking in his neck, his foggy eyes wide and flicking around frantically and, just to top it off, he accidentally ignited his rocket boots, sending him flying backwards, the back of his head smacking the ground as he let a soft 'oomph'.

"Works every time." Zane said smugly as he dusted his hands off.

"Zane!" Cora scolded as she knelt down next to her friend. "Are you ok Astro?" The only response she got was a groan. The robot teens eyes were scrunched shut as he spread eagle on the ground, making no effort to move.

"How many fingers do you see?" Alejo joined them, holding up two fingers in front of Astro's face as he finally opened his eyes, blinking blearily up at them.

"Um…five?" Astro slurred.

"I think you knocked a few wires loose." Ken said to Zane, who had the grace to look slightly guilty.

"Heh, sorry." He walked over and offered his hand to the fallen android. Astro gratefully took the offer and let Zane drag him to his feet. "You ok?"

"'M fine." Astro mumbled as he stifled a yawn. "But there's gotta be a better way to wake me than that. My Core's in overdrive." He placed a hand on his chest and took a deep breath.

"It's not our fault you sleep like a rock." Zane snorted, placing a steady hand on his friends shoulder as he began to wobble a bit. Astro pouted and re-claimed his place at the table, not quite fancying a face-plant to the dirt.

"Whatever." He sighed as he crinkled his brow in worry.

"Dude, quit stressin. You're gettin worry lines." Zane said as he poked Astro's forehead.

"Yeah, and most of them are from you." Astro retorted, swatting Zane's hand away as the teen laughed, making Astro smile slightly.

"You smiled!" Zane cheered, pointing at the robot.

"Guess you're good for something then." Cora jabbed as she rested her head on her hand.

"Pfft, you're just jealous cause I managed to do the impossible."

"What are you talking about, Astro smiles all the time."

"Not when he's tiered and grumpy."

"Guys, I'm still here you know." The bickering teens looked at Astro, who sat between them with a raised eyebrow. They chuckled sheepishly and apologised. Astro shook his head with a smile before resting his chin on the palm of his hand, his eyes beginning to droop.

"Henna's on her way." Astro looked up and saw Mr. Mustachio approaching them. He shot his homeroom teacher a confused expression.

"Wha?" Mustachio stopped next to him, staring down at his pupil.

"You're going home." He answered bluntly.

"But I'm fine." Astro argued, sitting a little straighter in is seat. The man sized him up with a disbelieving look.

"Uh huh." He deadpanned. "In any case, we can't have you dozing off during class. Go home and get some rest." Astro opened his mouth to protest but was cut of by a large yawn. Mr Mustachio rose a brow at him.

"That proves nothing." The robotic teen mumbled with a childish pout making the others chuckle.

It wasn't long before a black limo was pulling up in front of the school and Henna was popping out of the drivers seat, the woman quickly making her way towards the group.

"Ah, Mrs Tenma." Mustachio greeted when he caught sight of her. "Thank you for coming."

"What happened?" Henna asked, getting straight to the point.

"Astro past out." Sludge said bluntly as Henna turned her concerned gaze to her step-son.

"I dozed off." Astro argued with an eye role. "Geez guys, stop overreacting."

"I suggest he go home and get a good long rest." Mr Mustachio said, ignoring the robots indignant sigh. Henna nodded in understanding, ushering the complaining teen to follower her back to the car.

"We'll see you later Astro." Widget called with a wave, the others following her lead, receiving a weak thumbs up from the bot. Cora watched is retreating form with a worried gaze, however, the sound of the bell quickly snapped her out of it.

"Alright kids, time for class." Mr Mustachio reminded the remaining teens who all groaned as they made their way into the school.

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Back in the limo, Astro was slumped in his seat, staring unseeing out of the window with half lidded eyes.

"-back at school?" He blinked and turned to his step-mom, completely missing her question.

"Huh?"

"Your car, is it still at school?" Henna repeated, talking slowly.

"I didn't bring it. I flew." Astro explained. "I didn't feel comfortable driving." The woman nodded in approval at her sons responsible actions.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" She asked, sighing when he shook his head. "Worrying about it is not going to do you any good, you know. God forbid if the time comes, how are you expecting to fight if you can't even stay awake at school."

"Lecturing me isn't gonna make me worry less." Astro grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Hanne had turned the radio on, hoping to lighten the mood, but Astro showed no sign of even noticing the music, his gaze never leaving the window. They continued on in tense silence before finally making it back to their apartment complex.

"Oh Astro, back so soon?" Rayne spoke as they walked into the lobby, but again, the robot showed no sign of hearing her, his head low and gaze focused on the ground.

"Mr grumpy here fell asleep before school even started." Henna answered in his staid, nudging her step-son who's head shot up with a quick 'huh'. "Figured we'd give him the day off." The receptionist nodded in understanding, having saw the news also. After a swift goodbye to the woman, the pair continued up to the top floor pent house.

"Couch or bed?" Henna asked as they walked through the door.

"Couch." Astro answered, moving to the living room and falling face first into a pillow before finally curling up on his side as he let out a deep sigh.

"Would you like some cocoa?" Henna offered as she strolled past him and made her way towards the kitchen. Astro smiled at the thought.

"Sure." Henna's cocoa was the best, especially when stressed. Mrs Tenma heated up some milk and got out two mugs, fancying one herself. Once the milk was heated she poured it into the mugs before filling each with cocoa powder. Soon she had two cups of delicious, creamy hot chocolate.

"It's ready." She called as she made her way back into the living room. "Your cocoa, my liege." Astro couldn't help but smile as she bowed a little, offering him his mug.

"Why thank you, peasant." He played along, lifting his nose in the air as he took the drink. He blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip. "Perfect as always." He complemented. This time it was Henna's turn to smile, happy to see him less stressed. "By the way, where's Orrin?"

"He's just charging himself." Henna answered. The robot teen nodded and went back to his drink. The pair drank in comfortable silence until both of their mugs were empty.

"Right, aren't you supposed to be sleeping." Henna said as she took his mug with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok, ok." Astro chuckled. "I'm sleeping." He regained his position on his side, snuggling into a pillow as he felt Henna drape a blanket over him. Soon enough he felt himself drifting off to the sweet bliss of sleep.

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_"Where are you robot boy." Astro gasped when he saw the massive air ship, so ironically named 'The Spirit Of Freedom', appear from around a building, looming over him as it pointed in his direction. He practically felt his core stop spinning when an equally big hand smashed said building, revealing the ship to be attached to the arm of a monstrous robot._

_"Ah, there you are." The monster said in its deep, booming voice as it pointed the air ship at the small boy. Astro screamed and shot into the air as he felt the heat of the missiles as they shot passed his head, his ears ringing from the explosions as they hit the ground, the impact shaking the floating city._

_He looked up from the wreckage the rockets had caused, only now he was no longer flying. He gazed around and found himself standing in the remains of one of Metro City's skyscrapers._

_"Where's your robot friend, where is he?" He heard the giant yelling. His eyes flicked up in its direction. The monster robot was aways away, its giant hand holding a small blue car. It continued yelling, demanding his whereabouts as it shook the vehicle vigorously._

_Astro eyes widened when he heard familiar screams filling the air. His friends. He didn't hesitate to jump out of the building, easy since one side of it was missing, and shoot of in the direction of the robot. _

_He willed himself to fly faster, his usually orange flames burning an intense blue as he flew at an incredible speed, desperate to reach his friends. It was then that the giant robot turned its attention to him, its eyes glowing red at it appeared to smirk at him._

_"No." Astro whispered when he saw the bot move the car to the palm of its massive hand. "No, no, no,no." He continued to chant under his breath, pushing his rockets to their limit. Then it happened._

_Time seemed to slow down as the robot began to close its fingers. The last thing he saw was his friends horrified and pleading faces before the fingers closed around them, crushing the vehicle like it was nothing more than a bug._

_"NO!" Astro screamed as tears fell from his eyes. He could hear the robots booming laugh as his world began to turn black. The laugh suddenly began to sound a lot more human and scarily familiar._

_"I always get what I want."_

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Astro shot from the couch with a strangled gasp. His eyes were wide and clouded as he struggled for breath, his Core spinning rapidly in his chest.

'What was that?' He thought to himself, brushing a few strands of hair out of his face and taking a deep calming breath. It had been a while since he'd dreamed about the Peacekeeper incident and it had definitely never ended like that before.

Once he was relatively calm, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to check the time. 8:20. Not too late. A ruckus from upstairs announced Zoran's bed time. The little girl always refusing to sleep when told to.

Astro sighed, wiping a hand over his face. That dream had seriously disturbed him. He considered texting his friends to make sure they were all right but found that wasn't enough. Sure he could easily just go upstairs and consult his parents, but felt that wouldn't do either.

With an affirmative nod the robot teen lifted himself from the couch, the blanked falling from his lap, and made his way towards the pent house balcony. Without so much as a goodbye, Astro jumped over the railing and flew off in the direction of someone he hoped wouldn't mind his abrupt visit.

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Cora sighed for the hundredth time as she pulled her knees up to he chest. She and Lottie where currently huddled on the couch attempting to watch some random movie, not that she was really paying attention.

She had spent the entire day in a worried daze, not paying attention in class or contributing to conversation with her friends. She just couldn't get her mind off the escaped Stone situation, not even to mention her intense worry for Astro.

"You seriously sigh one more time." Lottie warned with a huff. Cora blinked at her friend, she hadn't even realised she had.

"Sorry, I'm just worried." She said as she lay her head on her hand.

"I noticed." It wasn't that Lottie wasn't worried, she was, she just knew that getting all worked up about it wasn't helping anyone.

The girls fell back into silence as the movie continued to play in the background, Cora once again losing herself to her thoughts.

Knock knock knock.

Cora and Lottie's heads shot up at the soft rasping at the window. They turned and saw a familiar face smiling at them through the glass.

"What the?" Lottie stuttered, this being the first time actually seeing him flying. Cora, on the other hand, was already making her way towards the window, her own smile in place.

"Hey." She greeted once she pulled the window open, moving to the side to let him in.

"Hi, sorry for the abrupt visit." Astro apologised as he powered down his rocket boosters, his boots snapping back into place. Cora gave him a quick once over, happy that he looked more relaxed. That is until she got a better look at his face.

"Are you ok?" She asked in concern.

"Hm?" She stepped closer, looking at his face intently.

"Have you been crying?" Astro blinked in surprise, bringing a hand up to wipe his face. He hadn't realised his tears in his dream had materialised in the real world.

"I'm fine." He reassured, wiping away the tear marks. "Just a bad dream." Cora gave him a sympathetic look.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked, taking his hand and leading him to the couch. The two took a seat next to Lottie, Astro taking a minute to greet the girl.

"Alright then." The robot agreed. He then spent the next fifteen minutes relaying all the details of his dream to the girls, Cora cringing when he got to the end.

"Glad that's not what happened." Cora mumbled with a shiver.

"You and me both." Astro nodded.

"So what about the voice at the end." Lottie asked, leaning forward in interest.

"It sounded just like Stone." The android sighed gravely. The group fell silent, lost in there worried thoughts, until Lottie finally broke it.

"Well, no use worrying over it tonight." She said as she stood and cracked her back. "You stayin over?"

"We don't mind." Cora insisted when he looked a little unsure. Astro thought about it for a moment before agreeing.

"Sure, why not." The girls smiled, excited for their first sleepover in their new home.

"Awesome." Lottie cheered. "We got a spare toothbrush if u wanna use it. She offered.

"Are you alright for clothes?" Cora asked him.

"I'll just put these back on." Astro pointed to his clothes. "It's not like I did anything today anyways. Plus I can get more tomorrow." The girls nodded in understanding before moving to their rooms to ready for the night. Lottie offered Astro the spare toothbrush, reassuring him it was no trouble, before bidding him goodnight and face planting her bed.

Cora shook her head at her friends action. She walked back into the living room with a pillow and a blanket and found Astro sitting on the couch in a vest top and his black shorts, his blue jacket and navy jeans folded in a neat pile by the coffee table. His focus was currently on his phone as he quickly typed something.

"I got you a pillow and blanked." Cora announced when she was close enough. Astro looked up from his phone and smiled.

"Thanks." He said as he took them from her, lying the pillow on the arm of the couch and spreading the blanket.

"Who where you texting?" She asked curiously.

"Just my dad. I kinda took off without telling them." He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile as Cora giggled.

"Well, guess we better get to bed." Cora yawned, stretching her arms.

"I've done nothing but sleep today." Astro chuckled as he moved to lay down. Cora laughed a little too then turned towards her bedroom, however, Astro's soft voice stopped her. "Thanks Cora." A small smile graced her lips.

"Goodnight Astro." She said without turning around, before finally entering her bedroom.

Astro snuggled into the blanket, sighing in relief. He was glad he'd decided to come here. Talking with Cora had definitely made him feel better. He closed his eyes, hoping for no more nightmares as he once again slipped into sleep.

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Once again, sorry for the wait -_- It took me longer to write this than I thought. I seriously hope something will start happening soon, but I just can't stop with the fluff ^^

Until next chapter :)


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